About InCahoots!
Resident artist, Gina Clay, has 21 years of experience as an art educator. Gina started InCahoots Artworks as a way to share her passion for creating unique works of art, specifically in the form of painted barn quilts. Whether instructing in a group setting or collaborating individually with a client to design a one-of-a-kind gift, Gina utilizes her fun and outgoing personality to share her belief that anyone can find the simple joy that comes from making a work of art!
What is a barn quilt?
A barn quilt takes the concept of a quilt square and recreates it on MDO wood or ACM signboard (which is more lightweight and durable). The painted square is then displayed on a barn, house, garage, fence, mailbox, or other structure for passersby to enjoy. The idea of a Barn Quilt began with Donna Sue Groves and her wish to honor her mother Maxine’s Appalachian heritage by having a painted quilt hung on her barn in Adams County, Ohio in 2001. Donna’s neighbors encouraged her to expand the project, which resulted in a collaboration with the Ohio Arts Council to create 20 more painted barn quilt squares in the area.
In many communities, business and community leaders have developed a Barn Quilt Trail to encourage visitors to tour the area. While some trails are more extensive than others, a quilt trail signifies a collection of barn quilts within driving distance of each other, typically within a singular county.
Today, barn quilts are one of the fastest-growing, community-driven grassroots public art movements in the country. You can find barn quilts locally on the Alabama Barn Quilt Trail!