Pattern and Paradox

Janneken Smucker is a cultural historian and professor of history at West Chester University. A leading scholar in the study of Amish Quilts, she writes for both popular and academic audiences. In 2013 she authored Amish Quilts: Crafting an American Icon, a publication that considers "the relationship of Amish quilts to the individuals who made, bought, sold, exhibited, and preserved them during the last half of the twentieth century." Smucker holds a B.A. in history from Goshen College, an M.A. in textile history from the University of Nebraska, and a PhD in history from the University of Delaware. She currently serves as faculty associate for teaching, learning, and assessment at West Chester University. Leslie Umberger is the curator of folk and self-taught art at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. She is the author of, most recently, We Are Made of Stories: Self-Taught Artists in the Robson Family Collection (2022) and Between Worlds: The Art of Bill Traylor (2018).