WHAT IS FIBER ARTS?

The average person may hear “fiber arts” and only think about crocheted baby booties or a knitted scarf, but the term covers so much more, including tapestry making, embroidery, cross stitch, needlepoint, and quilting. In a more academic sense, there is a distinction between fiber arts and textile arts, but in terms of their perception by the general public, the two categories have merged to include any item of artistic or practical value made of natural and synthetic fibers, including woven textiles. Fiber and textile arts have played a prominent role in daily life for thousands of years and have provided incredibly valuable artistic insights into the stories, symbols, and values that mattered to historical figures and their contemporaries, a dual legacy which continues into our modern era.

The line between a piece of art and a practical item shifts and reconfigures itself on a case-by-case basis. While large-scale pieces like tapestry have long been regarded as noble artistic mediums, the type of fiber arts pieces traditionally created by women, often from the home, have long been undervalued and overlooked. Like many things, trying to understand the place of fiber arts in both historical and modern societies requires an openness to the nuances of functionality, aesthetics, accessibility, and the value we assign to the labor of certain groups within society. “Domestic Arts,” like sewing, needlework, embroidery, crochet, and knitting have long been recognized as feminine pursuits, and with that association came a trivialization and dismissal of the precision, skill, commitment, and patience it took to participate in such crafts. The problem is not, and has never been, that women undertook these pursuits, but that their connection to femininity made them just as misunderstood and disregarded as their creators. Viewing fiber arts through a modern lens doesn’t mean dismissing the value of historic craft, but rather recognizing the value it has always held and celebrating the ways fiber arts have grown and changed.

Whether or not you consciously realize it, we are all exposed to fiber arts each and every day. When you go see a historical film, enjoy a ballet or opera, peruse an art gallery, or watch models strut down the catwalk in Paris, Milan, or New York, you’re likely to see the work of a talented fiber artist. Likewise, a handmade quilt slung over the back of a couch, a crocheted tote bag touted by a fellow SEPTA passenger, a carefully knitted baby blanket, or a decades old rag rug decorating the floors of a grandparent’s home are also the work of talented fiber artists, though we may be less likely to recognize it because of how mundane these things sometimes appear. Fiber arts encompass a wide range of amazing and exceptional crafts that can be appreciated and created by anyone, regardless of the historical constraints placed upon them based on gender and class lines. Opening your mind up to the world of handicraft means making room in your life for color, creativity, community, and beauty. What could be better than that?

Pictured here are two different examples of fiber arts through the ages. The first image shows a 19th century hand towel embroidered with images of plant life and small birds, currently on display at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The second shows a more modern example of 21st century needlepoint, a custom pillow of a dog, currently being displayed at Rittenhouse Needlepoint. Though both these items were made in a different eras and by utilizing different fiber arts techniques, both were made by artists with an appreciation for animals and showcase pieces of fiber art acting as practical home items.

PHOTO CREDIT: Talia Pugliese