The Embroiderers' Guild of America, headquartered in
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...
, is an organization dedicated to "fostering the art of
needlework
Needlework refers to decorative sewing and other textile arts, textile handicrafts that involve the use of a Sewing needle, needle. Needlework may also include related textile crafts like crochet (which uses a crochet hook, hook), or tatting, ( ...
and associated arts." Its members practice any and all forms of needlework, and are dedicated to education and
community outreach
A community is a social unit (a group of people) with a shared socially-significant characteristic, such as place, set of norms, culture, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geog ...
. EGA has chapters throughout the United States. Chapters are organized into regions. Events are organized at all levels of the organization.
Membership in EGA is open to anyone interested in embroidery from the beginner to the professional. Members work within local chapters or a member-at-large network to improve their skills and knowledge. Also, the organization and individual members are involved with museums for education and preservation purposes. EGA offers individual and group correspondence courses, teacher and judge certification programs as well as master craftsman programs.
The Guild's definition of embroidery is intentionally un-confining: anything made "using a needle with an eye in it". In 2020 the national guild has over 8,800 national and international members organized in 260 local chapters in 13 regions, as well as 3 online chapters.
History
1957: needlework class
Three women, Dorothy (Mrs. F. Huntington) Babcock (formerly Dorothy Doubleday), Margaret (Mrs. Daryl) Parshall, and Miss Sally Behr (later Pettit) form a needlework class in Mrs. Babcock's New York City apartment. The following year this group launched the American Branch, Embroiderers' Guild of London.
The Guild was created in 1958, in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
, as a branch of
Embroiderers' Guild of London. In 1970 the Guild withdrew from the London Guild and established The Embroiderers' Guild of America.
The organization's head office in Louisville includes a gallery for displays from its permanent collection and changing exhibits of embroidery.
References
External links
Embroiderers' Guild of America
1958 establishments in the United States
Arts organizations established in 1958
Embroidery in the United States
Guilds in the United States
Non-profit organizations based in Louisville, Kentucky
Textile arts organizations
Tourist attractions in Louisville, Kentucky
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