Subversive Embroidery

In 1895 the last reigning monarch of the Kingdom of Hawai’i, Queen Lili’uokalani, was imprisoned in ‘Iolani palace. Using scraps of silk from her own clothing and that of the women imprisoned with her, she created a 97” by 96” crazy quilt embroidered with symbols, dates, and names which symbolized her kingdom, her people, and her resilience. 

Throughout history and around the world, people have used embroidery to record and process the abuses and inequities of the systems of power which seek to silence and erase them. In Subversive Embroidery, textile artist and researcher Elliot Rockart will discuss how embroidery has been used as a subversive act. They will show examples from their own art as well as historical examples from the imprisonment of Mary Queen of Scots to the stitchers of the Keiskamma Guernica during the AIDS crisis in South Africa. Students will learn basic and intermediate embroidery stitches, and engage in collaborative discussions to generate ideas to use embroidery in their own subversive practice.