Lacing Communities Together - Take and Make Kit

Program Type:

Arts & Crafts, Take & Make Kits

Age Group:

Adults

Event Details

The Columbia Gorge Museum: Lacing Communities Together project with lace artist, Maggie Hensel-Brown, is an initiative to engage curiosity and educate about the heritage artform of lacemaking. As ubiquitous as lacemaking is, and perhaps you have a lace story in your family that hovers around the edge of your family lore, the very heart of its existence is invisible…the makers.

​Historically, lacemaking has been part of almost every culture for centuries. In many areas, it had a powerful economic impact and was a symbol of power and wealth. As such, it can be found in the clothing of the most powerful figures known, in their paintings, sculptures, and historical artifacts. Museum walls are lined with cuffs, ruffs, and embellishments that may have cost the equivalent of acres of land to purchase. Where are the names of time’s greatest lacemakers?

​The Columbia Gorge Museum has evidence of handmade lace in its collections. While we have ample information about the makers of other objects, the stories of lacemakers are lost. It was this fact, and the introduction of lace artist, Maggie Hensel-Brown through YouTube, that the idea for the LCT project grew.

​By participating in LCT, you are reaching back and lifting the very soul of all the women and men who created this beauty (and were left out of history) into the hearts of everyone who has ever picked up a needle, bobbin, or hook.

​Friday, March 6, videos go live. Watch one or all five videos. Make as many triangles as you wish. Make your own Pacific Northwest themed triangles using the guidelines in the videos. Send your finished lace pieces by August 24, 2026. Check the calendar for COMMUNITY LACE JOINING events, workshops, lectures, and demonstrations from Hensel-Brown and other lace artists. Opening event revealing the final installation will be Saturday, September 12, 2026.

​Your Take & Make Kit will include all the supplies and patterns needed to create your own lace triangles. We will have kits available May 1st through July 31st. You can either mail them to the address provided or bring them to the library by August 10th and we will take them to the museum.