It’s 2020, COVID-19 descends & I move from the UK where I had immersed myself in augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR): exhibitions, experiences, tours, & short courses), moved back to my home state of Iowa after nearly 20 years to be closer to family. During my two-week quarantine, I developed various plans inspired from my time living abroad. Writing for a grant seemed to be one way to realize these ideas of providing Art students a unique opportunity to exhibit their work using AR and contribute to society (a national arts standard). Contributing creatively to local cultural in such a contemporary way, vaulted the typical (contemporary, public art of the) barn quilt into something spectacular by students contributing animations of their work. In the lesson plan, I connected textile art of the quilt patch, to the evolution of the painted barn quilt square, to the digital art of AR. The StarAR Pilot program was made possible by a grant from the Iowa Economic Development Authority and with a lot of hard work and teamwork, StarAR.us was launched in 2021. The launch party was a complete success with guests such as the mayor who came to congratulate the artists!