Beads, they’re sewn so tight, 
October 10, 2018 – May 26, 2019

OPENING RECEPTION: Wednesday October 10 | 6:00 – 7:30pm
Artists will be present, all are welcome

ARTISTS: Bev Koski, Katie Longboat, Jean Marshall, Olivia Whetung

GUEST CURATOR: Lisa Myers 

The Textile Museum of Canada is pleased to present Beads, they’re sewn so tight, a new exhibition of work by four contemporary artists who innovate in the field of beading and quillwork, guest curated by Lisa Myers.

In beadwork, threads create structure and hold beads together, creating a seemingly invisible scaffold. As metaphor and as material, they unite form, design, and meaning. Beads, they’re sewn so tight examines social and political relations embedded in the visual language of pattern and surface design, including living traditions with an emphasis on family and community networks.

Beads, they’re sewn so tight features over 40 beaded works by Bev Koski, Katie Longboat, Jean Marshall, & Olivia Whetung, many of which will be shown here for the first time. From weaving to loom-work and embroidery, their artwork threads together formal aspects of artmaking such as colour and composition with critical issues such as language retention, stereotypes, and social and environmental injustices for Indigenous people.

IMAGE: Bev Koski, Berlin #1 (2015) and Ottawa #1 (2014). Image courtesy of the artist.