Quilts, Carvings, Americana: Three to See at One Spot

The Upcountry History Museum welcomes exhibits from Ken Burns, of war dogs and Norman Rockwell. 

Timing, they say, is everything, and now is the time to explore not one, but three one-of-a-kind exhibitions at Greenville, South Carolina’s Upcountry History Museum.

• In a nod to the treasured art form of quilting and the stories they tell, “Uncovered: The Ken Burns Collection” is an exhibition of 26 historic quilts from the personal collection of one of America’s preeminent documentarians, Ken Burns. Dating from 1850-1940, these quilts and Burns’ thoughts interspersed throughout the exhibition present a poignant picture of the beauty of shared expressions of individuals, geography and culture. In its only Southeastern stop, “Uncovered,” organized by the International Quilt Museum, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, is on display through January 30.

• “War Dogs: Never Above You, Never Below You, Always Beside You” is a remarkable collection of hand-carved, life-sized wooden creations, combat art and objects dedicated to military working dogs. Since the American Revolution, these four-legged warriors have served in all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces. This exhibition highlights the history, service and heroism of these specially trained service members and captures the emotional dynamics of the extraordinary tandem of human and canine warriors. “War Dogs” is on display through February 27.

• For a lingering nod to the holidays, “Norman Rockwell’s Home for the Holidays” continues through Feb. 13. With a combination of four original oil paintings and “Saturday Evening Post” covers, this notable display shows Norman Rockwell’s ability to capture the emotion, humor and memorable faces that convey Americana.

For more information: upcountryhistory.org; 864-467-3100; 540 Buncombe St., Greenville.




The story above first appeared in our January/ February 2022 issue.




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