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. This exhibit is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through grants from the Lake Region Arts Council and the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and through general operating support from the F-M Area Foundation, the Alex Stern Family Foundation, and The Arts Partnership with support from the Cities of Fargo, Moorhead, and West Fargo.