Lexington Historical Society to Open New Exhibition STITCHING STORIES: TEXTILES IN CONVERSATION

On September 23rd, 2022, Lexington Historical Society is opening an innovative exhibition at its historic Buckman Tavern, Stitching Stories: Textiles in Conversation. A reception, free and open to all, will take place on September 23rd, 2022 from 5 -7 PM. The exhibition runs through September 4th, 2023, and will be open to the public daily from 9:30 AM-4 PM.

The exhibition features a wide range of historic textiles, all from the Society's permanent collection. Items include clothing ranging from the mid-18th century until the 1960s, and touch upon a wide variety of uses such as wedding dresses, uniforms, and sports clothing. Accessories such as pincushions, hats, fans, and handbags will also be featured in the exhibition, leading curious visitors to discover parallels between their own lived experiences and those of days gone by.

The exhibition is part of a new initiative, Contemporary Meets Colonial, which marks the first time the Society will integrate contemporary art into the period rooms of Buckman Tavern. Nine contemporary textile artists were selected in a juried process to show their work alongside the collection pieces, creating conversations between the old and new. The artists represented are: Merill Comeau, Carson Fox, Ania Gilmore, Sandra Golbert, Carolyn Halliday, Gyöngy Laky,nAdrienne Sloane, Kathryn Stanko and Darlene Wigton.

Carol S. Ward, Executive Director of the Society and this exhibition's curator, feels that it is integral for an historic house museum to work with contemporary artists in order to breathe new life into its collection. By creating interesting juxtapositions for viewers to consider, Stitching Stories will appeal to a wider and more diverse audience and connect people to history in an accessible manner. As Ward states "It has become more and more clear that museums need to think outside the proverbial box and create meaning through both a historical and a contemporary lens. This is why Lexington Historical Society is proud to present this exhibition. The exhibition's goal is to create a conversation between the historic site, the period rooms, the Society's diverse textile collection and selections of contemporary textile arts. All are woven together, pun intended, to tell the rich story of Lexington then and now."

To learn more about Stitching Stories: Textiles in Conversation exhibition and programs in conjunction with it, please visit our website https://www.lexingtonhistory.org/ or call them at 781-862-1703.

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