As one of the most prolific and celebrated documentary filmmakers of our time, Ken Burns is known for award-winning series such as The Civil War (1990), Baseball (1994), Jazz (2001), and The National Parks: America’s Best Idea (2009).

When he allowed his private quilt collection to be displayed for the first time at the International Quilt Study Center and Museum  in Lincoln, Nebraska, we knew our readers would want to hear all about it. Our very own Mary Fons got the opportunity to speak personally with Mr. Burns about his exhibit and his passion for quilts — and this was a story we couldn’t wait to share.

We sent Mary and photographer Melanie Zacek to Lincoln on special assignment last week to get the story.

The resulting article and interview are a Quiltfolk exclusive, which we are making available for FREE to the quilting community.