Although quilting originated in Asia, Japanese women did not participate in this art form in modern times until the last two decades of the twentieth century. Once exposed to American quilts, Japanese quilters infused nineteenth and early twentieth century American patchwork and applique patters with their own eastern aesthetic, taking the art form to a new level.

The Japanese sense of color, attention to detail, and fine handling of fabrics have resulted in dazzling quilts. The works of art selected for this exhibition are those in which each artist has worked with a recognizable American quilt pattern that has been augmented with the overlay of an eastern aesthetic. The Crow Collection joins seventeen other Dallas institutions in the Quilt Mania II exhibitions.