I taught myself to sew in order to create a series of artist’s books years ago. I was collecting coincidences from my reading, and I chose embroidery as a medium to present them in order to use a pun title, Common Threads. I liked the idea of creating a facsimile of an ordinary notebook in which the markings and the material were integrated into a single object. Presented as textiles, the books invite readers to reconsider the materiality and tactility of reading. In these notebooks I catalogued the unusual phrases that I would improbably read in two books in a row. Some examples are “black currant lozenge” or “stuffed mountain lion.” These literary observations led me to consider other societal issues that can be revealed through our reading habits, such as the gendered and ageist nature of violence in mystery novels or the climate and technology anxieties apparent in science fiction. I’m currently working on Volume 150 of the series and have created many other embroidered books and artworks.
During the pandemic, I experienced writer’s block (and a general inability to create new work in the face of so much change), but I found stimulus in the black page. The perfect metaphor for artistic block, I began making drawings using the parallel lines of a blank sheet of notebook paper using embroidery. We often think of “embroidery” as synonymous with “embellishment”, but my designs exploit textile for its subtle texture. From across the room, the medium is not apparent.
I privilege craft traditions because they evoke a domestic sphere of feminine concerns which should be valorized. I am temporarily in Amiens, France, a city with a textile tradition that dates back to the Middle Ages, working on a Fulbright project using embroidery to preserve handwritten stories about the American reproductive healthcare crisis. Embroidery and textile are perfect media to directly confront work-place misogyny, share stories, and advocate for women’s rights. As an artist that uses embroidery, I have received a lot of unearned credit for political activism, but with each new project I seek opportunities to support and engage my community.
During the pandemic, I experienced writer’s block (and a general inability to create new work in the face of so much change), but I found stimulus in the black page. The perfect metaphor for artistic block, I began making drawings using the parallel lines of a blank sheet of notebook paper using embroidery. We often think of “embroidery” as synonymous with “embellishment”, but my designs exploit textile for its subtle texture. From across the room, the medium is not apparent.
I privilege craft traditions because they evoke a domestic sphere of feminine concerns which should be valorized. I am temporarily in Amiens, France, a city with a textile tradition that dates back to the Middle Ages, working on a Fulbright project using embroidery to preserve handwritten stories about the American reproductive healthcare crisis. Embroidery and textile are perfect media to directly confront work-place misogyny, share stories, and advocate for women’s rights. As an artist that uses embroidery, I have received a lot of unearned credit for political activism, but with each new project I seek opportunities to support and engage my community.