Barn quilt designed by a Shawano group gets NFL endorsement, to be featured at draft event
Michelle Eron and Jim Leuenberger, co-coordinators for the Shawano Country Barn Quilt Project, look over one of the barn quilts created to commemorate this month's NFL draft in Green Bay.
Shawano-area artisans have created a barn quilt that will be on display during the NFL draft, to be held April 24-26 in and around Lambeau Field.
The barn quilt will be part of NFL Draft Experience, a fan festival held during the draft that includes immersive exhibits and other NFL-related activities. Visitors to the Draft Experience will be able to take photos alongside the barn quilt, according to a press release from the Shawano Country Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center.
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The NFL draft quilt is an extension of the Shawano Country Barn Quilt Project, which has been supported and sponsored by the Shawano Country Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center. The pattern was designed by Michelle Eron, tourism manager for the Shawano Country Tourism Council, using official colors used in NFL branding. As part of the process, the NFL endorsed the design.
Project members also created a second, identical barn quilt, which will be on display at chamber's offices at 1263 S. Main St., Shawano.
The design of the Shawano Country Barn Quilt Project's NFL draft barn quilt includes the exact colors of the NFL brand, and was approved by NFL officials. One of the two barn quilts will be displayed as part of the NFL draft festivities.
Barn quilts are paintings that incorporate quilt patterns, typically done on two 4-foot-by-8-foot pieces of plywood to form an eight-foot square. Often, the wooden quilts are attached to barns so that passersby can see them.
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Eron and Shawano photographer Jim Leuenberger are coordinators of the Shawano Country Barn Quilt Project. It was started in 2010 by Leuenberger, who had seen barn quilts in other areas. He thought creating a large number of quilts for area farmers would be great project for the Shawano area.
The project has had a three-pronged mission: to encourage the preservation of old barns, to provide an opportunity for service clubs to paint or sponsor a barn quilt, and to promote tourism in the Shawano area.
With the addition of the two NFL Draft barn quilts, the total number of the works of art created for the project is 412, according to the news release.
The project is "a testament to our community's pride and creativity," Eron said. 'It's a way for us to honor our farming communities while also attracting visitors who appreciate art, history, and the great outdoors.'
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For more information about the Shawano Country Barn Quilt Project visit shawanocountry.com.
Keith Uhlig has been writing about Wisconsin, its people and all it has to offer since 2000. Raised in Colby, he loves wandering around the state. He can be reached at kuhlig@gannett.com, and is on Facebook, X and Threads.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Shawano Country Barn Quilt Project creates an NFL draft display
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