Embroidery Artisans from Madagascar Featured in Exhibition Debut at Cultural Cloth

Written by Mary Anne Wise

From the island nation of Madagascar, located off the southeastern coast of Africa, the finely detailed hand-embroidered works by Stitch St Luce have traveled 9,488 miles to their US debut exhibition at Cultural Cloth in Maiden Rock, Wisconsin.

These pieces will be on display during the Fresh Art Tour from June 3-5, which is a self-guided tour of 16 galleries and artist studios in Pierce and Pepin counties in Western Wisconsin.  The exhibit will continue through the month of June.  Click here for more information about the Fresh Art Tour.

“Their works are masterful," summarized Mary Anne Wise, co-founder of Cultural Cloth.  "The extraordinary craftsmanship of these pieces is what caught my eye. Through our work at Cultural Cloth we have an opportunity to view a lot of embroidery from all over the world.  The embroideries from Stitch St Luce stand apart. The quality of the stitches is very fine and they employ a variety of stitches just as a painter might create the variety with a brush."

"This work needs to be seen by a wider audience," continued Wise and this is what motivated her to work with Stitch St Luce over the last year to bring the exhibit to the US.  "These pieces are an important contribution to the field of hand work.”

The pieces are roughly 11 x 17 inches.  The background fabrics are cotton and come in a variety of different colors.  Some pieces are framed and some are ready to be hung as wall hangings.  All pieces are for sale and the prices vary.  All pieces will be posted on www.culturalcloth.com.  

Stitch St Luce’s embroideries portray Malagasy folk tales such as “The Hedgehog With The Crocodile” and “Why The Cat And The Rat Are No Longer Friends”. The written folk tale depicted on each piece is included.

For the women of Stitch St Luce, the path to mastering their artistry is an equally long route filled with determination and triumph.  Madagascar is one of the poorest countries in the world.  Ninety-nine percent of the people live on less than $.95 per day. 

The project began in 2012 by Sarah Brown, an embroidery artist from the UK. Sarah was touring the country and happened upon a community of embroiderers whose skill was not being passed along because of lack of financial opportunity. Motivated to help them develop their artistry so they might lift themselves out of poverty, Sarah transplanted herself to Madagascar. Over a three year long period she developed Stitch St Luce, an embroidery project now working with 23 highly skilled artisans. Their success has ripple affects extending beyond the families and into the communities as role models for social change.

Click here to watch a video about Sarah Brown's work and meet some of the women artisans.