Sunday, July 5, 2015

Maine and New Hampshire Samplers on View

Sally Cochran Sampler in the Lynn, MA style
If you happen to be going to the coast of Maine anytime before October 4th, stop in Saco, Maine for the exhibition of 130 samplers that are mostly from Maine and New Hampshire (a few related pieces from Massachusetts are thrown in - Maine and Mass were one state until 1820).  They were pulled from their collection, many historical societies (who don't exhibit these often) and many private collections!  For those who aren't familiar with the geography, Saco is just north of Kennebunkport and is south of Portland, ME.  Old Orchard Beach is in Saco and quite popular.

My family loves the beaches at Ogunquit and the salt water taffy place at York - so we come up there quite often (the 1 hr 10 min trip is a fast one).  So yesterday I dropped off the family a the beach and made a bee-line to the exhibit for an hour.

I was quite stunned at the number of samplers that curator Leslie Rounds pulled together for her "Industry and Virtue Joined: Schoolgirl Needlework of Northern New England" exhibit.  130 samplers from a tight geographical region is wonderful to see.  You can wall along a wall and see motifs travel through the samplers as well as how much variety came from the different teachers.  Putting this together resulted in many new insights and obvious teacher styles.  It took me far longer than my family was expecting to get through the exhibit.  So I totally suggest dumping your significant other at the beach before going!!

There will be a book coming in a few weeks for the exhibition and it will compliment the book for the 2013 exhibit (I My Needle Ply with Skill).  If you want to get the catalog, keep checking the website.  




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1 comment:

  1. WendyBeeJuly 20, 2015 at 10:49 AM

    I have only just discovered your blog, and I'm thrilled to find that you are fairly nearby! I have been reading embroidery blogs for a few years and doing only a little actual stitching. The more I read, the more fascinated I become. And how's this for irony: I live in Biddeford (across the river from Saco), and drive by the museum on Rte 1 on a regular basis. So often, my DH and I will see the sign out front stating what the current exhibit is, and say "Oh, sounds interesting, we should go...". And then we never have!
    But this year, we are facing being Empty-Nesters (ack!) and have begun to find little local adventures to distract us from the agony of the empty rooms. Your post has convinced me to go the Sampler Exhibit. Thank you! I love that you have this dedication to the art.

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