For more than a decade, the New England Quilt Museum has been the exclusive Northeast host for this celebrated exhibition, which premieres at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum before traveling internationally. It features the most extraordinary and innovative works from the biennial competition of the Japanese Handicraft Instructors' Association (JHIA), which sponsors the largest international quilt contest in Japan and one of the most prestigious in the world. This year’s Quilt Nihon Exhibition features 50 award-winning and notable works, including 13 entries from the competition’s newest category, miniature quilts.

For 50 years now, the JHIA has promoted handcrafted arts in Japan by educating and training instructors in eight specialties: quilt making, knitting, embroidery, lace making, painting, weaving, leatherwork, and flower art. The JHIA boasts 7,000 certified quilt instructors among its 12,000 members. Their biennial Quilt Nihon Exhibition is a must-see for quilt aficionados who marvel at the complexity of these master works, as well as first-time visitors who simply appreciate their beauty.