Humans have always searched the night sky for meaning, stories, and clues about what lies beyond. The Stamford Museum & Nature Center’s newest exhibition, “Fierce Planets,” brings that timeless sense of wonder to Earth through an unexpected and deeply human medium: quilts.
Surrounded by swirling galaxies and radiant orbs stitched in fabric, visitors may wonder whether they are gazing at art that would glow on their own wall, or at a vision of the cosmos glimpsed through a telescope, or at some blend of both.
Forty-two textile works by artists from 11 countries around the world who reimagine planetary science dot the exhibit. A collaboration between the Studio Art Quilt Associates (an organization with 4,000-plus members) and Johns Hopkins University’s Wavelengths program, the exhibit was inspired by the research of Sabine Stanley, a Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Planetary Science at Johns Hopkins and author of the new book “What’s Hidden Inside Planets.” The show opened in the 2,200-foot gallery on Sept. 25 and runs through Jan. 5, 2026. Curator-led tours are offered every Thursday at 1 p.m. through Dec. 18.
“This exhibition perfectly captures the connection between science and art,” said Roanne Wilcox, the museum’s curator of collections and exhibitions, during a recent tour. “Scientists can make amazing discoveries and conduct research, but it’s up to artists, writers, and composers to translate those discoveries in ways the public can understand. These quilts do exactly that — they make planetary science tangible.”
The diverse works display diverse worlds. Paula Rafferty’s “Storm” swirls with movement and lavender hues, capturing both the wild winds of her Limerick, Ireland, homeland and the elemental forces needed to shape planetary change. In “Postcard from Space, The Largest Planet,” Joan M. Huffman evokes space’s vastness using couched yarns and crystal stars. Ann Harwell’s free-motion quilted “Jupiter’s Red Spot” depicts the planet’s iconic storms and flames, while Judith Content’s “Nebulae” uses silk and acrylic paint to convey the swirling interstellar clouds of gas and dust where stars are born.
One particularly striking work, “Pale Blue Dot,” by Dolores Miller, uses cotton, polyester sheers, and metallic foil to recreate the image of Earth as seen from beyond Saturn, tiny and fragile against the immense darkness of space. “Cosmos,” by Mieko Washio of Osaka, Japan, uses fabric and thread to represent the solar system, stars, asteroids, and comets.
Not all the works in the exhibit are square or wall bound. Claire Passmore’s “Hot Stuff” evokes molten magma rising from Earth’s core 10 million years ago — shaped by her volcanic island home of Mauritius — in fiery tubes of fabric that hang from the ceiling. Jennifer Caghill’s “Inner Core/Outer Space” honors the scientists whose curiosity drives space exploration using stitched planets adorning a lab coat. Ohio-based Jennifer C. Solon’s “Untamed Fury” is a mixed-media, collaged, monoprinted, coil-wrapped, hand- and machine-stitched sculpture of tornadic dust and air, a vortex of intensity and a poignant reminder of Mother Nature’s awe-inspiring yet devastating power.
“All of the artists in this exhibition happen to be women,” Wilcox noted. “Their attention to detail and imagination is remarkable. Some used traditional quilting techniques like appliqué and couching, while others experimented with digital printing or hand painting on fabric. The result is a stunning blend of art and science.”
“Fierce Planets” is also an educational experience. Local school groups visit to learn about planetary storms, magnetic fields, and geology through the language of color, texture, and form.
“We present four exhibitions per year, and many relate to science and environmental themes,” Wilcox said. “With this show, we’ve all learned so much more about astronomy — and we love seeing our visitors discover it, too.”
The exhibit’s journey is far-reaching: it came to Stamford from Florida, and will travel to museums in Maryland, Kansas, New Mexico, and finish in Texas in 2027.
“To have this show here is really special,” Wilcox said. “It’s not something you’d normally see locally, and it sparks conversations about creativity, discovery, and the universe itself.”
The Stamford Museum & Nature Center is at 39 Scofieldtown Rd., on the former estate of fashion designer and department store founder Henri Willis Bendel (1868–1936). The museum occupies Bendel’s grand mansion, while just steps away, cows, goats, horses, and other barnyard residents roam the 10-acre Heckscher Farm. The 118-acre property hums with life: the murmur of streams, the rustle of leaves along 80 acres of hiking trails, and the laughter of children on school trips drifting through the trees.
And as if it were written in the stars, a new planetarium is scheduled to be unveiled on Saturday, Nov. 15. The Astronomy Center will welcome guests for two days of Astro Fests — Saturday, Nov. 22, and Sunday, Nov. 30, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
