Several of the pieces in Abstract Design in American Quilts became recognizable symbols of the exhibition and, by extension, of American quilts generally. They appeared on the catalog covers of various versions of the exhibition, in newspaper articles, and in subsequent publications about Abstract Design in American Quilts. One quilt was the first quilt visitors saw in the Whitney museum’s lobby in 1971. Another was the exhibition’s lone Amish piece, the spark that lit the fire of Holstein and van der Hoof’s subsequent Amish quilt collecting. In many ways, these quilts became stars of the exhibition, representing it in a variety of formats and venues.