On March 4, the Indiana Barn Foundation will hold the much-anticipated auction of the award-winning Bicentennial Barn Quilt. All proceeds from the event will be used to create a fund to provide grants for barn preservation.
The fund will be named in memory of Mauri Williamson, who was a founding member of Indiana Barn Foundation and long-time advocate for agricultural heritage, having also founded Pioneer Village at the Indiana State Fairgrounds during his career with Purdue Ag Alumni Assn.
Indiana Barn Foundation is a statewide, 501c3 nonprofit organization representing a network of barn owners and enthusiasts. Established in 2014, IBF has supported barn owners through education, workshops, barn tours and annual meetings.
"It has been the goal since founding IBF to provide financial assistance to barn owners wishing to preserve their historic barns. At this time we are honoring Mauri Williamson's memory and his dedication to barn preservation by establishing a designated fund to be used directly to preserve barns," said IBF president Carolyn Meyer Rahe.
The Bicentennial Barn Quilt was awarded Outstanding Bicentennial Collaborative project by the Indiana Historical Society, and received endorsement as a Bicentennial Legacy Project. The quilt features 92 squares, with a barn from each of Indiana's 92 counties represented in a quilted image. During Indiana's bicentennial in 2016, the quilt traveled across Indiana to over 50 different locations and has been admired by thousands of Hoosiers from all regions of the state.
The highlight of the March 4 fundraising event will be the live auction of the Bicentennial Barn Quilt. Other barn-related Hoosier artwork will also be auctioned. Attendees will enjoy a buffet of hot and cold hors d'oeuvres, and remarks by quilt coordinator Joy William, Donna Kooistra of Heirloom Appraisers and IBF President Carolyn Meyer Rahe. Social hour will begin at 6 p.m. with the live auction at 7 p.m.
As the Indiana Barn Foundation Bicentennial Barn Quilt traveled the state, hundreds of visitors signed the Barn Quilt guestbook, which will be transferred with purchase of the quilt.
The Bicentennial Quilt auction and fundraising event will be held from 6-8 p.m. at the
Indiana History Center, Stardust Cafe, 450 West Ohio St., Indianapolis. For more information and to purchase tickets for this event, go to www.indiana barns.org/events.