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Home Economics

Nancy Edell, Halifax,NS 'Peter and Nancy as the Two-headed Dog', 1993 Various yarns, burlap, hooked 66 x 96 cm Dalhousie Art Gallery permanent collection Gift of the artist, 1999 Photo by Steve Farmer (1993)

Organized and circulated by the Textile Museum of Canada
Shauna McCabe, Natalia Nekrassova, Sarah Quinton and Roxane Shaughnessy, Curators

Highlighting how craft and commerce have been deeply entwined, Home Economics sheds light on two centuries of creation that embraces vernacular design and individual expression – vibrant evidence of Canada’s evolving cultural and economic landscape. Today, artists and artisans continue to adapt personal experiences and points of view into material culture, part of the new ethos of interdisciplinary creativity in the 21st century.

The exhibition presents over 100 hooked rugs from the TMC collection, including the work of contemporary artists Joanna Close, Nancy Edell, Hannah Epstein, Deanne Fitzpatrick, Heather Goodchild, Barbara Klunder and Yvonne Mullock as well as seldom-seen pieces by Emily Carr, Clarence Gagnon, Florence Ryder and Georges-Édouard Tremblay.

Curator’s Talk

Saturday, September 24th at 2:00pm

Roxane Shaughnessy, Curator, Textile Museum of Canada, will speak about the intersections of hooked rugs and economics over the last 150 in Canada.

Artist’s Talk

Saturday, October 22nd at 2:00pm

Joanna Close in conjunction with the exhibition Home Economics: 150 Years of Canadian Hooked Rugs will present an illustrated talk on design in contemporary and historic rugs while also discussing dye choices, colour palettes, fabrics and design motifs in her own rug hooking practice.

Two Rug Hooking Workshops

Saturday, November 5th at 10:00am &  Saturday, 5 November at 2:00pm

Participants will work with artist Joanna Close to produce a hooked coaster. No experience necessary and materials will be provided. The workshop is free but please contact claire.dykhuis@msvu.ca to register (required).