Currently On View
Painted with Silk
The Art of Early American Embroidery
December 13, 2024 - June 15, 2025
Painted with Silk
The Art of Early American Embroidery
From the 1600s until about 1830, the education of American girls emphasized reading, writing, and embroidery. For girls whose families could afford to send them to school, a finely worked embroidery which was worthy of being framed for display in her home served as a kind of diploma. It evidenced both her mastery of an important practical skill and the diligence and self-discipline that society expected of its more privileged members.
The content and style of American schoolgirl embroideries varied across both time and place. Painted with Silk will feature unusually beautiful and well-preserved examples of this inherently fragile art in order to explore the cultural values and norms that schoolgirl embroidery was used to teach.
Painted with Silk will also include contemporary embroideries by the artist Elaine Reichek. In her work, Reichek repurposed the form of the older embroideries in order to expose and criticize the assumptions about gender, class and race that they expressed and reinforced.
Exhibition:
Painted with Silk
Dates:
December 13, 2024 - June 15, 2025
General museum admission is FREE for residents of Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb counties.
From the Exhibition
Artwork From the Exhibition
Explore Membership Options
Immerse yourself in unique history and culture and enjoy greater access, exclusive events, and more