HandWork: Women’s Folk Textiles of Texas

“HandWork: Women’s Folk Textiles of Texas,” a project of Women & Their Work, Inc., was on display at the Midtown Art Center, in Houston, June 28 through August 3. The show opened in Austin in 1983.

“HandWork” consisted of two sections; a core exhibit which toured statewide, and local pieces which reflect traditional needlework crafts of the area. Crafts included in the exhibition were quilting, tatting, crochet, filet crochet, embroidery, deshilado, and cutwork.

A needlework specialist interviewed Houston needleworkers prior to the exhibition, and a committee of folk arts specialists and arts administrators then selected the pieces for the final exhibition. Each of the artists selected to participate in “HandWork” learned her craft in the traditional manner, from an older member of her family or community. The crafts displayed are representative of the ethnic background of the artists: Hispanic, Ukranian, Laotian, Cambodian, Vietnamese, Persian, and Black. The artists were recent immigrants to the Houston area as well as long-time residents.

“I was amazed at the diversity of needlework in the Houston area,” said folk arts specialist Cheri Diesler who conducted the research in Houston. “I only wish I had more time to spend in the community. The work I found was interesting and very well executed, and the pieces were lovely. It was a difficult selection to make.”

Click here for information on the original exhibition at Women & Their Work in Austin.

Click here for information on the exhibition at Scurry County Historical Museum in Snyder.