By Thomas Kring, Marketing Director
From Aug. 19-22, 2026, the American Quilter’s Society hosted the annual QuiltWeek convention in downtown Grand Rapids.
Thousands of quilters arrived at the DeVos Place Convention Center to view the masterful quilts on display and attend classes and workshops taught by experts.
Twisted by Simone Steuxner, Härjedalen, Sweden – Photo by Thomas Kring
In the main exhibit hall, one could easily lose themselves in the rows of beautiful quilts submitted by artists from around the world. Quilts were organized into the contests they were submitted into—either by dimensions, materials or theme.
Peony Dream by Jing Chen, Beijing, China – Photo by Thomas Kring
As 2026 is the American semiquincentennial, many of the special exhibits had patriotic themes such as “Stars, Stripes, and Stitches” or “Threads of Liberty.” Other exhibits had unrelated yet specific subjects such as “Abyss- Creatures from the Deep” and “Art Quilt Alliance Emojis.”
Vendors were also present in the exhibit hall selling a variety of fabrics, quilting supplies, sewing machines and food and drink.
QuiltWeek did not come without controversy. The American Quilter’s Society (AQS) has been accused of censorship because it has banned quilts from shows that the AQS believes, according to its contest rules, “express or depict controversial political, religious, or sexual themes.”
One of the earliest instances of the AQS’ alleged censorship happened in 1994 when artist Jonathan Shannon’s quilt, Amigos Muertos, was banned from AQS shows. The quilt was a commemoration of artists who had been lost to cancer and the AIDS epidemic.
Most recently, in 2025, the AQS banned Laura Shaw’s quilt, Your Mother. Your Daughter. Your Sister. Your Grandmother. You., from all of its shows. The quilt in question is an abstract piece inspired by the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
In a blogpost written by Shaw following the ban of her quilt, she accused the AQS of “censoring quilts for subject matter” and described the behavior as “insidious.”
TheSaint reached out to the AQS with questions about Grand Rapids QuiltWeek and the organization’s past decisions but did not receive a response.
The Saint 