A stitch embellishes, a stitch joins parts, a stitch can heal, a stitch can mend, a stitch in time saves nine. STITCH celebrates the whimsy, invention and creativity of contemporary artists who use stitches in their work in non-traditional ways. STITCH examines the use of sewing to create art that is not clothing, not intended to keep a person warm, and not necessarily meant for any intended purpose except to generate thought and occupy the eye.
Each artist in STITCH utilizes different materials and techniques.
Together the works in STITCH illustrate the willingness to explore mixed media by incorporating traditional methods with both reclaimed and newly created materials. With each pass of the needle the artists of STITCH reconnect with something ancient and bring it into the forefront of our modern lives and our contemporary art.
"Sewing has an extensive history dating back to ancient times many years before the first cloth was woven and the first needle invented. Throughout its rich history sewing has been a means for creating functional objects of warmth and covering for the body and for shelter. As sewing related to my own history, my Grandmother had a beautiful cast iron sewing machine that was kept in a wooden table that she spray-painted gold. I never saw her use it, but I hear that at one time she was an avid seamstress. My Father taught me to mend with a needle and thread, sew on buttons that had come off, and darn holes in a sock while stretching it over a light bulb."- Jessica Burko, Curator
