THREADS OF POWER – Lace from the Textilmuseum St.Gallen shown in New York
A cooperation with the Bard Graduate Center NY in the USA.
Around 150 objects from our extensive collection will be presented in the USA for the first time. The Bard Graduate Center in New York, in cooperation with the Textile Museum in St. Gallen, shows the development of European lace from its beginnings in the 16th century to the present day.
On display are some of the world’s finest examples of handmade needle and bobbin lace worn by the rich and powerful at the courts of Spain and France. The “Threads of Power” exhibition, which runs through the end of the year at the Bard Graduate Center Gallery, will take a look at hand embroidery made by women, the development of etching embroidery, known as guipure lace, as well as on those of the embroidery machines. Current innovations in lace production such as laser cut or 3D printed lace used in contemporary haute couture will also be explained. A highlight are the costumes on display, for example by Michelle Obama, who wore a dress made of St. Gallen lace at her husband’s first inauguration.
The exhibition was curated by Emma Cormack, Bard Graduate Center; Ilona Kos, curator, Textile Museum St. Gallen; Michele Majer, Bard Graduate Center.
We thank the Coby Foundation, the Zürcherische Seidenindustriegesellschaft, the Lenore G. Tawney Foundation, the Swiss Consulate in New York, Switzerland Tourism, Forster Rohner AG, Tobias Forster and AKRIS for their support and sponsorship.