Indiana State Museum to donate blankets collected through ‘Woven Together’ exhibit

Indiana State Museum donates blankets to Wheeler Mission

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Indiana State Museum is looking to “weave” relationships with the community while helping support people experiencing homelessness.

As part of its “Woven Together” exhibit, officials launched the “Cover the Community with Love” Initiative. At the opening reception in February, people donated more than 60 blankets and 140 pairs of socks.

On Monday, the museum brought the donations to Wheeler Mission Center for Women & Children.

The exhibit tells the stories of Indiana’s earliest using coverlets, a type of woven bedspread. It features 30 of the textiles while showing off information about the people who made them.

Carla Knapp, the museum’s communication manager, spoke with News 8’s Hernan Gutierrez before the display debuted. Knapp said that the coverlets were more than just blankets – homeowners used them as artistic expression.

“With the fabrics that people had here in Indiana in the early 1800s you would see colors like blue, black, and white,” Knapp said. “As the Industrial Revolution began and we come into the 1830s through the 1870s when these coverlets were made, you begin to see these remarkable vibrant colors that people had never seen before in their fabrics.”

“Woven Together” runs through the end of June.