Embroidery: My brush with exhibiting at the New York State Museum
With NY state shut down (along with many others) a lot of things have been cancelled, or postponed. It sucks. & it doesn’t just suck for me, but we are trying to do the right thing, and keep people healthy & alive. I get it. I’m doing my part.
But…
I had an embroidery piece on display at the New York State Museum & I couldn’t get down there to see it in person before everything closed. Luckily, Ashley Hopkins-Benton, Senior Historian & Curator at NYSM, posted some images on her Instagram & I could just make out my square & was able to repost on my Instagram!
Next, Ashley & Jennifer Lemak, Chief Curator of History at NYSM, got together & hosted a museum field trip on Facebook Live so that we could virtually visit the exhibit: The Susan B. Anthony House 2020 Quilt Project (& the Suffrage Wagon). While they did not feature my embroidered block, they gave insight into a number of the blocks relating to history, and technique. They also only had less than half of the blocks on display. I was honored mine was chosen to be included.
While visiting the Susan B. Anthony House and Museum in Rochester, NY a few summers ago, my mom, a quilter, bought a quilt block kit. In it, was a large, white center square perfect for hand embroidery. I decided to embroider portraits of Easton Political Equality Club co-founders Lucy Phillips Allen and Chloe Peckham Sisson. Easton was the first suffrage club formed in rural Washington County, NY in 1891 & they would be active until NY granted women the right to vote in 1917. I drew the patterns, & stitched in my free time, starting in late June 2019, and finishing in early September 2019. I then passed it of to my mom to sew together & send off to Rochester.
All of the quilt blocks are on display online: 2020 Quilt Project: Stitching Together Women’s Suffrage. As of this post, there are 296 blocks & counting.
Why Chloe Sisson & Lucy Allen when there are so many big names, recognizable names? Well, I wanted to represent my home, & I wanted to let people know that there are all of these unknown women, who fought for years to win voting rights, custody rights, property rights… They were everyday people, like you & me. & they made history happen.
Greenwich Journal (Greenwich, NY Washington County). October 7, 1896.
FAVOR EQUAL RIGHTS.
Washington County Political Equality Clubs in Session at Granville.
The third annual convention of the Political Equality clubs of Washington county was held at Granville last Wednesday. At the afternoon session the address of welcome was extended by Mrs. G. F. Baker of Granville, and responded to by Mrs. Lucy Allen of Easton. The report of the corresponding secretary shows that progress has been made in the work in the county during the past year. Miss Margaret Slocum gave the report of the Granville club. Mrs. Mary Hubbard read a report of the Cambridge club, and other papers of interest. The report from West Hebron was given by Mrs. Emma Hays, from White Creek by Mrs. Sweet, from Easton by Mrs. Lucy Allen.
An interesting address was given by the president on “The Three Stars,” after which a paper was read by Mrs. Sweet of White Creek. Miss Margaret Slocum of North Granville read an article on “The Effect of Woman Suffrage on the American Patriotism.” Mrs. Nellie Matheson, president of the Granville club, discoursed on the subject “Gains of Forty Years.”
Mrs. Chloe Sisson of Easton was re-elected president: recording secretary, Mrs. H. E. Barden, Granville: corresponding secretary, Mrs. Emma Hays, West Hebron: treasurer, Miss Jennie Thomas, Easton. Delegates to the state convention appointed were: Mrs. Nellie Matheson, Granville; Mrs. Sweet, White Creek; Mrs. William Reid, West Hebron; Mrs. Lessie Slocum, Easton. A letter of greeting to the convention was read from Lillie Devereaux Blake.
At the evening session the hall was crowded. The Granville band discoursed fine music. Owing to the illness of Mrs. Mary Seymour Howell she was unable to be present, and Miss Elizabeth Yates, a talented speaker from Maine, was substituted in her place as speaker of the evening. She chose for her subject “What We Are Coming To,” and her address was very attentively listened to.
The first political equality club was organized at Easton in 1892, since which time three other clubs have been formed, at Cambridge, West Hebron and Granville. The convention was largely attended.