March 2026 in the Crowell Gallery
Julia Duke, “A Return to Quilts”
March 3 – 28, 2026
An artist’s reception will be held Saturday, March 7, 2026 from 1:00 – 2:30pm.
“A Return to Quilts”, features a new assembly of quilts by local artist and craftswoman Julia Duke. The walls of the gallery will be hung with colorful design and fanciful figures, highlighting the popularity of combining function and artistic expression.
Speaking from her studio in Brookline Vermont, Jula shared: “While making this particular collection of quilts, I’ve been keenly aware of fabric patterns and designs. Using fabric as a color palette is a given in quilt-making. And yet, each piece of fabric has its own unique combination of shapes and images and colors that a fabric designer has created. For me, each quilt has a mood based on its colors and what evolves from combining different fabrics. Spending time handling and seeing different fabrics together while making quilts – the cutting, sewing, ironing, arranging and rearranging, gives me joy!” There are an estimated 11 million active quilters in North America and the proportion of new quilters is up from 11% to 18%.
2026 Gallery Schedule
- January—Robert L. Crowell Art Collection
- February—Cathy Osman
- March—Julia Duke
- April—Children’s Exhibit
- May—West Brattleboro Arts
- June—Gregg Wapner
- July—Maisie Crowther
- August—Sharon Myers, Erika Radich
- September—Diedre Scherer Family
- October—Kathleen Kemp
- November—Louise Zak
- December—Mohammed Daoudi
Interested in exhibiting your art at the Crowell Gallery? Email crowellartgallery@gmail.com for information.
Gallery History
The Crowell Gallery at the Moore Free Library in Newfane, VT was opened to the public on September 2, 2000. It houses an outstanding collection of contemporary Southern Vermont artists. The permanent collection is on view each winter (usually in January and/or February). For the rest of the year, the gallery hosts special monthly exhibits by local artists. The gallery also serves as a venue for public programs and meetings.
Robert and Muriel Crowell funded the renovation of the Moore family’s 1890 post and beam barn. The work was performed by local artisans Dan and Gary MacArthur. A gift in 2004 from the Wolf Kahn and Emily Mason Foundation provided tensor lighting for the gallery.
About Robert L. Crowell
Robert L. (Bob) Crowell, former head of the Thomas Y. Crowell Company (which later became part of Harper Collins Publishers), was the grandson of the company’s eponymous founder. Thomas Y. Crowell began publishing books in 1876 and was the first U.S. publisher of Tolstoy and Gogol. Bob joined the company as a salesman in 1931, was elected treasurer in 1937, and rose to head the company in 1938. Under his leadership, the company published Roget’s International Thesaurus, the Frank Heller detective series and numerous art and children’s books.
Bob served as a trustee of the Moore Free Library from 1976 to 2001 and was President of the board for five of those years. As the Moore Free Library’s primary benefactor, he funded scholarship programs, literary awards, and library renovations. He passed away June 29, 2001.