Embroidery is the perfect vessel for storytelling. Few contemporary artists understand this better than Elaine Reichek, who has explored mediums ranging from painting and drawing to textiles since the 1960s. “Samplers interested me because they combine image and text,” Reichek says. “And because they're identified with women, it's a way of giving them a kind of alternative voice.” You can see those ideas in action at the Detroit Institute of Arts’ current exhibition, Painted with Silk: The Art of Early American Embroidery, on view through June 15, 2025. 
 
During her first-ever visit to the DIA, Reichek paused her museum tour to chat about her life as an artist and the creative process. Check out a few of her tips:

In Painted with Silk, Reichek’s works are placed near historical samplers — pieces that emphasize the importance of girls’ obedience and virtuousness. Her contemporary samplers challenge these 17th and 18th century societal norms. Since needlework is “associated with domesticity,” she uses the medium to challenge assumptions about women’s roles. 

“Every form can be reinvented,” Reichek says. “It can be put to your own use...by retelling in your own voice. This is a feminist form that can be subverted to say something different.” She does this in many of her works in Painted with Silk, such as a traditional-style alphabet sampler that states in simple cross stitch: “Don’t be loud. Don’t be Pushy. Don’t Talk with Your Hands.”  

Got a new creative medium you're trying to figure out? Reichek’s advice: don’t stress about getting it perfect. 

“I’ve made every mistake possible,” says Reichek about her experience learning how to use a digital sewing machine. “You read the instructions, make it, and then make it again. Then you pull it out, do something differently, and then you think, ‘Well, it could be better if I did this instead of that.’ So, it’s all this try and try again; learn by doing.” 
 
At the end of the day, the real value isn’t in the finished piece, but in the fun and freedom of figuring it out.

Throughout Painted with Silk, visitors will see both simple pieces and refined historic samplers that feature elements like complex stitches and watercolor. While undeniably beautiful, Reichek believes in the power of simplicity. 

“I tend to use cross stitch and straight stitch,” Reichek says. “I can do the others, but this is not about the craft. It's about the message. It's not about showing off my needlework.” 

Reichek’s goal? A sampler where the message speaks louder than the stitching.