By Rebekah Hall
University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture
Anna Goff said it was a “sincere honor” to have a quilt made by her late mother, Ann Prince, selected for the “America 250: Common Threads” exhibit at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.
“Everyone who knows anything about her has said this is something that she would have been so very proud of — to be able to see her work displayed in a museum,” said Goff, extension family and consumer sciences program associate for the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.
The exhibit, which opened March 14 and continues through July 27, celebrates the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the centuries of American art and civic participation that followed.
Prince is one of two members of the Arkansas Extension Homemakers Council, or EHC, program whose textile works were selected for the exhibit.
Laura Hendrix, extension professor of personal finance and EHC adviser for the Division of Agriculture, said Arkansas EHC learned of the opportunity to submit items to the exhibit through Ayanna Bledsoe, director of inclusion and belonging for Crystal Bridges.
Bledsoe is a current participant of LeadAR, the extension leadership development program, and became familiar with EHC through her experience in the program.
“When Ayanna heard about the Common Threads exhibit, she thought of the handcrafted items that are made by extension program participants, including EHC members,” Hendrix said. “We sent out a call for proposals to EHC club members to submit items for the exhibit, and Crystal Bridges staff selected two pieces.”
Hendrix said EHC members have a “long and successful history of using their time and talents to improve and strengthen communities.”
“EHC members used surplus cotton to make mattresses in the 1930s and ‘40s, and they also made quilts, clothing and other handcrafted items,” Hendrix said. “Extension educators throughout the decades have taught EHC members, who then use their new skills to create items that improve life and enhance the environment for their families, friends and communities.”
Today, EHC members make teaching dolls for doctors to use at Arkansas Children’s Hospital, quilts for local veterans and lap quilts and bibs for nursing homes, Hendrix said.
“We are delighted to have EHC items on exhibit at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art,” Hendrix said. “This is a great opportunity to share the history of EHC with museum patrons and to encourage EHC members to visit the museum.”
Passing on heritage skills
Prince was a member of the Hot Spring County Gifford EHC club for 40 years. She also joined the Garland County Crazy Quilters and Saline County EHC quilting clubs to expand her skills and teach others.
“After she started taking different skills classes through EHC, she became one of the teachers, and that was something she really enjoyed doing — getting to share her passion with others and show how it made a difference in her life,” Goff said.
Goff said her mother had 69 years of sewing experience when she passed away in June of 2025. Of the 10 pieces of Prince’s work that Goff submitted for consideration for the Crystal Bridges exhibit, her “patriotic pineapple” quilt was selected.
Prince made the quilt in 2012 as part of the Garland County Crazy Quilters EHC club’s project to make quilts for local veterans. The quilt was given to her son, Raymond Prince, a veteran of the United States Marine Corps and Army National Guard.
Erin Holder, 36, is a member of the Benton County Extension Homemakers Council. Holder’s large crochet doily, approximately 27 inches in diameter, was also selected for the “America 250: Common Threads” exhibit.
Holder used her great-grandmother’s crochet hook to work on the doily between October 2023 and July 2024, and she then submitted it to the Benton County Fair. She said heritage arts is a focus of her EHC club, and when the call went out for submissions to the Crystal Bridges exhibit, she thought her doily could be a perfect fit.
“A giant homemade doily feels like the epitome of heritage art,” Holder said. “When I was making that piece, I kept thinking to myself, ‘I wonder if I am making a family heirloom right now. Is this going to stick around in our family for generations?’
“Now that it’s in Crystal Bridges, I think it’s so cool that not only did I make this piece with the hook that’s been in our family for decades, but it now has a fascinating story behind it, too,” Holder said. “What an honor to be included in this exhibit.”
Holder said she particularly enjoys the friendship and community she experiences through EHC, similar to the camaraderie her children experience as part of Arkansas 4-H, the extension youth development program.
“As adults, I feel like it’s getting harder to make connections with other people in your community,” she said. “My kids are in 4-H, and that’s one of the big benefits of the program, is that my kids can get connected with other youth who have similar interests in their county and the state. With EHC, I call it 4-H for grown-ups. It’s very similar. I think it’s a great way to meet people, make friends and learn new things.”
Tickets to the “America 250: Common Threads” exhibit cost $15 for adult general admission, and entry is free for Crystal Bridges Museum members, veterans, youth under age 18 and participants in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.
SNAP participants can call 479-657-2335 to enroll for free entry to temporary exhibitions.
Visit the Arkansas Extension Homemakers Council page to learn more about the organization or contact your local county extension office to learn about clubs in your area.
To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit uada.edu. To learn more about ag and food research in Arkansas, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station at aaes.uada.edu.
About the Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system.
The Division of Agriculture is one of 22 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on three campuses.
Pursuant to 7 CFR § 15.3, the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services (including employment) without regard to race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, sexual preference, pregnancy or any other legally protected status, and is an equal opportunity institution.
