The Needle’s Art: Embroidered Treasures of the Emily Reynolds Historic Costume Collection
March 26 - June 23, 2024 Hjemkomst Center – 3rd Floor Gallery

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 Needle’s Art Embroidered Treasures from the Emily Reynolds Historic Costume Collection are funded in part by grants from the Lake Region Arts Council and Minnesota State Arts Board through a Minnesota State Legislative appropriation, the F-M Area Foundation, the Alex Stern Family Foundation, and The Arts Partnership with the Cities of Fargo, Moorhead, and West Fargo.