(Aug. 11, 2016) While past iterations of the Julia A. Purnell Museum’s Needle Art Show and Competition have been successful in drawing a number of applicants from the region and northeast, there is one demographic that has lagged behind in entries: Snow Hill residents.
“The event has always drawn a lot of outside interest from places like North Carolina, Pennsylvania and New York, but not as many from Pocomoke, Snow Hill and surrounding areas,” Director Dr. Cindy Byrd said.
The submission deadline, previously set at Aug. 19, has been pushed back until Aug. 24 to accommodate any late entries. There is no charge to compete.
“I know we have good local talent — I’ve seen it. We want to show you off, and not just highlight work from other areas,” she said.
There are no divisions, or even really any standards — the only prerequisite is the item must be made using a needle and thread, or any kind of fiber, Byrd said.
“We’ve had quilts, cross-stitch and needlepoint,” she said. “Even baskets. Having divisions and categories just overcomplicated everything.”
So she decided to simplify.
“We decided to compare apples to oranges and bananas,” Byrd said.
Selected entries will be displayed from Sept. 1 until Oct. 31 at the museum, and award ribbons for first, second and third place, along with a people’s choice honor, will be distributed at FiberFest on Oct. 8.
The FiberFest celebration is scheduled between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., with the awards ceremony taking place at 1 p.m., according to Byrd.
The event is in honor of the museum’s namesake, Julia Purnell, who was an accomplished needle worker.
“People come to shop — we have lots of specialty vendors selling yarn, supplies — all those kinds of things,” she said. “We’ll have live animals here to show where fibers come from, and a sheep shearing demonstration.”
Last year, Byrd said, the festival featured a silk dyeing demonstration, showing how the silk was extracted and then dyed to suit the particular need.
“This year I’ll be giving a gallery talk,” Byrd said. “It’ll be about Julia’s work and the museums’ collections.”
“The event has always drawn a lot of outside interest from places like North Carolina, Pennsylvania and New York, but not as many from Pocomoke, Snow Hill and surrounding areas,” Director Dr. Cindy Byrd said.
The submission deadline, previously set at Aug. 19, has been pushed back until Aug. 24 to accommodate any late entries. There is no charge to compete.
“I know we have good local talent — I’ve seen it. We want to show you off, and not just highlight work from other areas,” she said.
There are no divisions, or even really any standards — the only prerequisite is the item must be made using a needle and thread, or any kind of fiber, Byrd said.
“We’ve had quilts, cross-stitch and needlepoint,” she said. “Even baskets. Having divisions and categories just overcomplicated everything.”
So she decided to simplify.
“We decided to compare apples to oranges and bananas,” Byrd said.
Selected entries will be displayed from Sept. 1 until Oct. 31 at the museum, and award ribbons for first, second and third place, along with a people’s choice honor, will be distributed at FiberFest on Oct. 8.
The FiberFest celebration is scheduled between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., with the awards ceremony taking place at 1 p.m., according to Byrd.
The event is in honor of the museum’s namesake, Julia Purnell, who was an accomplished needle worker.
“People come to shop — we have lots of specialty vendors selling yarn, supplies — all those kinds of things,” she said. “We’ll have live animals here to show where fibers come from, and a sheep shearing demonstration.”
Last year, Byrd said, the festival featured a silk dyeing demonstration, showing how the silk was extracted and then dyed to suit the particular need.
“This year I’ll be giving a gallery talk,” Byrd said. “It’ll be about Julia’s work and the museums’ collections.”