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Gold Needles: Embroidery Arts from Korea

Tags for: Gold Needles: Embroidery Arts from Korea
  • Special Exhibition
Saturday, March 7–Sunday, October 25, 2020
Location:  234 Textile Gallery
Arlene M. and Arthur S. Holden Gallery
embroidery of two colorful birds on a branch. the bird on the right is bent over, looking backwards through his long legs at the bird on the left

Birds and Flowers (detail), late 1800s. Joseon dynasty (1392–1910). Eight-panel folding screen; embroidery on silk; 154 x 340 x 1.9 cm. Seoul Museum of Craft Art, 2018-D-Huh-0044. Photo: Howard Agriesti, The Cleveland Museum of Art

About The Exhibition

Co-organized with the Seoul Museum of Craft Art, Gold Needles: Embroidery Arts from Korea celebrates anonymous women artists and their inventive creations that triumphed over the conventions of the patriarchal Joseon society. Through stunning examples of embroidery and patchwork, this exhibition explores Korean embroidered works of art as tools of empowerment to overcome social and cultural constraints.

Most of the loaned pieces—ceremonial robes, folding screens, gift-wrapping cloth, and wedding fans—borrowed from the Seoul Museum of Craft Art once belonged to Mr. Dong-hwa Huh (1926−2018) and Ms. Young-suk Park (b. 1932). The couple shared a passion for preserving Korean textiles and presenting their artistic distinctions to the world and donated their entire collection to the Seoul Museum of Craft Art in May 2018. The exhibition honors the couple’s lifelong collecting legacy and philanthropic bequest. An English-Korean bilingual gallery guide, including essays and illustrations, accompanies the exhibition.

Sponsors

Principal support is provided by Cathy Lincoln, the John D. Proctor Foundation, and the Seoul Metropolitan Government. Additional support is provided by the Textile Art Alliance.