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Cornell University

Threads of History

Textiles at Cornell

Threading the Needle: Call for Fiber & Fashion Art

Call for Fiber and Fashion ArtistsThe exhibit, Threading the Needle: Weaving Traditions into Contemporary Textile Art at Mann Library’s Gallery will present artists that blur the line between craft and art and turn traditionally feminine arts into visual storytelling by using combinations of stitching, quilting, embroidery, mending, remaking, refashioning, upcycling and other textile crafts.

Threading the Needle features pieces that draw on these traditional textile techniques, with a particular focus on the work of artists incorporating ideas of social and/or environmental sustainability and inclusive practices or themes. These contemporary pieces will be exhibited alongside selections from Cornell University Library’s Home Economics Archive: Research, Traditions, History (HEARTH) database as a means to connect current artwork to historical sources while reimagining those sources for the future.

Application Requirements

  1. Bio or CV
  2. Artists must submit 2-5 example images of work and an accompanying one paragraph long statement about each piece. Submit at least one image for each piece, and not more than two. Images should be labeled as LastName_FirstName_Title.jpeg. (e.g. Smith_John_seaming.jpeg). Statements should be labeled LastName_FirstName_Title_Statement.jpeg.
    • If you are submitting one piece for consideration, two of the images should be of the piece you are submitting, others can reflect your overall work. Submit one statement.
    • If you are submitting multiple pieces for consideration, images should be of each piece you are submitting, and one statement should accompany each piece. Make clear which piece goes with which statement.
    • If you are submitting a series of work images should be of all the pieces in that series. Submit one statement for the series.
    • NOTE: Depending on space availability and a desire to represent different artists it is possible only one piece may be selected for display even when multiple pieces or a series are submitted.
  3. Submissions should be sent to: mann-public-ed-prog@cornell.edu
  4. Artists who submit an entry and images to Cornell University Library agree to have images of their work appear on the website for the exhibit and programming materials

Timeline

  • Application Deadline: September 30, 2022
  • Artist Notification: November 15, 2022
  • Submission must be received by January 6, 2023
  • Exhibit opens March 20, 2023 and runs to August 27, 2023