Much more than a dress: a Pacific Northwest Quilt and Fiber Arts Museum exhibit brings messages of peace, hope and life from women around the globe, via The Red Dress.
This article first appeared in the Skagit Valley Herald on Jan. 11, 2025, and is posted here by permission.
It took 380 artists from 51 countries 14 years to complete The Red Dress exhibit that opened Wednesday, Jan. 8, at the Pacific Northwest Quilt and Fiber Arts Museum in La Conner.
The museum is the first West Coast venue to host the exhibit, which has been in such countries as France, the United Arab Emirates, Mexico, Kosovo, Wales, England and Italy.
The dress was the idea of British artist Kirstie Macleod.
The artists involved embroidered a total of 87 pieces onto the burgundy silk fabric to represent identity through embroidery.
The artists were encouraged to express their identity, including their cultural and traditional experience.
Those involved were mainly women, many of whom live in extreme poverty. Some of the embroiderers were able to rebuild their lives through participating in the project.
From 2009 to 2023, the dress traveled the world to embroiderers, including refugees, people seeking asylum, survivors of war, impoverished women and students.
“Peace,” “hope” and “life” are some of the words embroidered on the dress. They represent what the artists gained from participating in the project.
Colombian embroiderer Catalina Sanchez stitched hibiscus flowers and a toucan onto the dress to represent her country.
Shortly after her contribution, a bomb went off in a police academy near Bogotá, which led her to add the word “hope” to represent what remains with her and many people nearby after the explosion.
“(The Red Dress) is the neatest thing I’ve seen since I’ve been here … I think it’s amazing that they’re using fiber arts to bring people together — all cultures, all different places. It’s a beautiful way to bring people together, ” said Debbie Banta, a museum volunteer of 14 years.
Museum Director Carla Funk said she has worked in museums for more than 20 years, and finds it remarkable how people can be transformed by a single visit, and how a visit can change the way people think.
The museum currently has other exhibits with similar themes to complement The Red Dress, including The Red Dress Challenge, which the museum launched in February 2024 in anticipation of The Red Dress exhibit.
The Red Dress Challenge is intended to raise awareness of The Red Dress, and has allowed Pacific Northwest artists to create something within a similar concept, using various fabrics and embellishments to represent themselves.
The Red Dress and The Red Dress Challenge exhibits will be open through March 2.
— Story and photos by Ava Ronning, Skagit Valley Herald
Also read in Salish Current:
“Quilts and fiber arts bring joy, fun and a way to learn,” Aug. 28, 2024