MOORHEAD — Whether you have one of your fancy grandmother’s hand-sewn heirlooms hanging on display or you had a favorite auntie who used scratchy scraps of polyester fabric to fashion a quick and practical Christmas gift, quilts are a distinctly American vibe. In any case, you’ll have renewed reverence for all things granny squares and chain stitching when you visit the Historical and Cultural Society of Clay County’s “Quilt National ’23,” a juried exhibit of 30 one-of-a-kind quilted masterpieces with a message. “The work we do includes the arts because they are a vital part of human history,” said Maureen Kelly Jonason, executive director of the HCSCC.

“Quilt National ’23 is so much more than pretty quilts hanging on the walls. Each one symbolically represents a piece of culture, history or personal perspective using fabrics and artistic imagination.” Organized by The Dairy Barn Arts Center in Athens, Ohio, the traveling show runs through Sept.

30 at HCSCC and represents the museum’s mission to bring culturally relevant exhibitions to the community, according to Jonason. The Dairy Barn Arts Center in Athens has organized the biennial competition since 1979 and displays quilts that employ artistic elements to them, like symbolism, abstract expression and innovation. Pieces range in intricacy and include found fabrics, like vintage scarves, as well as high-tech touches such as LED lighting.

“Quilt National has showcased quilts that play with light, .