Women's Work

This case features a broad selection of materials from the Library’s collections made (and in one instance, commissioned) by women, with an emphasis on artists’ books and textiles. Writing and textile work—sewing, weaving, crocheting, knitting, and other methods of fabrication—can be accomplished at home, sometimes at little cost and, if need be, in secret. Several of the works shown here push the boundaries of creative freedom, while others emerge from circumstances of economic necessity—even as they may demonstrate remarkable artistic achievement. The French philosopher Simone de Beauvoir disdained textile work, arguing that “With the needle or the crochet hook, woman sadly weaves the very nothingness of her days.” But there are other perspectives: Cecilia Vicuña, whose work is included here, quotes an Andean proverb, “To weave is to think,” and has even said, “The spindle is the axis of the world.” While some of these works may have started in a small, domestic sphere, they collectively span cultures, geographies, and centuries.