Greetings Awesome Foundation!

I’m pleased to introduce you to the Far North Quilt Trail Project (FNQTP), a comprehensive, community wide public art project designed to enhance, engage and inspire Fairbanks and our surrounding communities in creating beautiful and accessible public art pieces.

A brief explanation of this relatively new folk art movement: barn quilts originated in Ohio in 2001, and have grown exponentially in popularity. These large, bold, geometric paintings placed on the sides of barns, businesses and other buildings are now found nationwide. Many barn quilts linked together in one area is known as a quilt trail. These self-guided touring trails positively impact both urban and rural areas in a myriad of ways by bringing attention to significant architecture, honoring familial heritage, and creating commerce in communities by ushering interest and tourism to the area.

Alaska’s first quilt trail is commencing right here in the Fairbanks North Star Borough. The Far North Quilt Trail Project will be a community wide endeavor that will establish a distinctly unique quilt trail, instilling local pride with each piece installed. The FNQTP has the capacity to reach a broad range of individuals and will bring people of all ages, backgrounds, and disciplines together in a celebration of local history and culture, while simultaneously creating lasting partnerships between artists, enthusiasts and organizations within our community.

Since our last application with the Awesome Foundation, the Far North Quilt Trail has received $870 in grant support from Our 2 Cents to install two barn quilt signs at the Fairbanks Community Garden, a project titled "Art in the Garden". These two barn quilts will be installed at the FCG in the summer of 2020.

The FNQTP has also recently completed a large barn quilt mural at public venue Goldie's in downtown Fairbanks. This commissioned piece will be the first public barn quilt in the Far North Quilt Trail Project.