Inspired by the history of domestic labor and Alice Walker’s In Search of Our Mothers’ Gardens, this talk will explore the concept of “domestic artists” through artifacts and ephemera. The home, and particularly the textiles in and around it, can be a space of function but also reveal expressions of creativity, artistry, and family heritage. This research reframes acts of homemaking as the work of generations of makers, preserving a legacy of often overlooked art practices.
Date
Wednesday, June 4th, 2025
Time
4:30-6pm EST
Location
Zoom, a link will be sent to participants before the lecture
Cost
Tickets for this event are sold on a sliding scale with a suggested donation of $25, but if you wish to pay less or more than the suggested donation, you may select a different amount from the drop down menu. As always, we are grateful for your support, which ensures the continuation and preservation of textile knowledge. Thank you for making this series possible.
Tatter Library is a registered 501(c)3. Our speaker series is part of our community programming and proceeds support the continued success of our talks with artists, scholars, and historians we admire. For this event, all ticket proceeds will go towards keeping this series alive.
Scholarships
We have two scholarships available for this experience. To be considered for a scholarship please email info@tatter.org requesting the scholarship application form.
Recording
This lecture will be recorded. A link to the recording will be emailed to all those who register following the live session. This link is live for one month for you to watch at your convenience.
OUR LECTURER
Sarah Byrd
A love of all things “old” led Sarah to collections and preservation of the past in order to understand the present. This passion informs her work at every level. Her independent research focuses on the role of archives and museums in fashion education, the history of clothing within American cults and communes, and the concept of domestic artists. She firmly believes that education is the key to all progress and strives to connect with audiences beyond the standard classroom setting.
As an archivist, she has worked on a wide range of fashion and textile-based projects for private clients and large corporations.
Since 2017, Sarah has worked with the Textile Arts Center on a textile-based research and history course for the Artist in Residence series. She also teaches courses related to fashion and textile history, museum theory, and fashion archives at the Fashion Institute of Technology, Parsons School of Design, and New York University.
Sarah received her BA from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and her MA in Fashion and Textile Studies from the Fashion Institute of Technology. Sarah is also a co-founder of the Fashion Studies Alliance, a New York-based network and support system for professionals working in the field of Fashion Studies.