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The craft and art of needlework is thousands of years old and employs forms, tools, and techniques that have been handed down through countless generations. Needle Art: A Postmodern Sewing Circle pays tribute to this legacy by presenting 50 objects by artists who use needlework forms or traditional needlework materials, tools, and techniques to create powerful and expressive works of art.

The needle is an ancient and universal tool, and an evolutionary thread connects the artists in this exhibition with their historical past. Some use sewing machines, a tool that merges artistic creation with commercial production and precision. Other artists are laptop sewers, accomplishing their work stitch by stitch. The artists in this postmodern sewing circle use familiar techniques—embroidery, quilting, beadwork, and upholstery—in a very contemporary way. But though the techniques are familiar, the materials range from gingham and organdy to beach towels, army blankets, tissues, and even baseballs.

The works on display range from the personal and nostalgic to the political, feminist, and simply funny. The objects are a bridge, taking us from what we thought we knew about needle art—as "women's work" or as a minor art—to an appreciation of it as a medium with enormous artistic potential. Needle Art: A Postmodern Sewing Circle is a cutting-edge exhibition that blends the old with the new, craft with fine art, into a dazzling and thought-provoking experience.