The Needle’s Art: Embroidered Treasures of the Emily Reynolds Historic Costume Collection Exhibit

The Historical and Cultural Society of Clay County is pleased to announce the opening of a new exhibit called The Needle’s Art: Embroidered Treasures from the Emily Reynolds Historic Costume Collection; multiple embroidered textiles will be on display at the Hjemkomst Center March 26 through June 23.

Using a needle and thread to embellish clothing and textiles has been practiced by men and women for centuries in both the home and in professional workshops. But early in the nineteenth century, embroidery became primarily viewed as a woman’s activity and was relegated to the arena of crafts, often without recognition of the artist who made it. American museums are filled with these pieces of needle art, made in the home and passed down through the family until they end up in a museum collection. These pieces illustrate more than a woman’s ability to mark her family’s linens, beautify her home, or fulfill her expected social role. They become an outlet for her creativity and a means of moving beyond her home and into the wider world.

The Emily Reynolds Historic Costume Collection at North Dakota State University has a remarkable collection of embroidered pieces made in the home, added to clothing or textiles by professional embroiderers, or collected by donors during their world travels. This exhibit celebrates the art of embroidery—an art that spans geography, cultures, and time to connect women across the world and across history.

The Emily Reynolds Historic Costume Collection is a repository of material culture focusing on clothing, textiles, and related items. The collection works to reveal how such objects serve as a record of life through collection, preservation, and study. Housed at North Dakota State University, across the river from Moorhead in Fargo, ND, the collection of over 5000 fiber artifacts has broadened its mission to preserve the cultural heritage of the state and region through textiles, clothing, and related items.

This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through grants from Lake Region Arts Council, thanks to a Minnesota State Legislative appropriation; The Arts Partnership with the Cities of Fargo, Moorhead, and West Fargo; the Fargo-Moorhead Area Foundation, and the Alex Stern Family Foundation.