July 2025 Update

Happy Fourth of July, Everyone!

As our nation celebrates its 249th anniversary, we are one year closer to America's Semiquincentennial and the launch of the America's Tapestry exhibition! While this may instill some apprehension in our stitchers, I personally cannot wait to see the assemblage of the many hours, days, and months of labor on each of our 13 panels from talented hands across the East Coast & beyond. I can think of no better way of commemorating our nation's birthday.

Looking beyond the fireworks, parades, and hot dogs that are synonymous with today's festivities, we must always remember why today is a day worth celebrating. While imperfect and often times fractious, our founders sought to create a more just, equal society that was unprecedented in the Western World.

I cannot help but think we are furthering the work our forefathers and mothers began 249 years ago. Stitching across communities, state lines, and generations with a unified goal, we are taking part in the great American experiment. In a world which can often feel as fragile and as divisive as that of the early American Republic, each one of us has chosen to believe that we are stronger when unified, more empathetic when collaborative, and more enriched through community participation. Whether you have joined us by taking a stitch, sharing our project with friends and family, or helping us generate the beautiful imagery in each panel, you have all contributed to America's Tapestry.

We have also reached an exciting milestone this month - over 200 newsletter subscribers! What began as a monthly email to 30 supporters continues to grow beyond my expectations. Thank you to everyone for reading and supporting our efforts.

In the Press

I had the great pleasure of speaking with Gary Parr, the host of the popular needle arts podcast Fiber Talk, about America's Tapestry. If you would like to listen, please click the link here.

We had a wonderful discussion as I shared with Gary the inspiration behind the project and our progress thus far. Since the podcast's release, we have had an influx of messages about how to get involved - please be sure to share this video with anyone who might want to learn more!

What's New?

This month we had our first director's meeting - it was the first time all America's Tapestry leadership met (albeit virtually)! Now that each state has begun stitching, we shared our progress as well as traded tips and tricks we could learn from one another. We will now meet regularly until completion of the project.

Stitching Spotlight

The North Carolina Tapestry Panel had one of its first big public events at the North Carolina State Archives Building in Raleigh, NC. Gail Smith and her team were kindly hosted by our partners at the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (NCDNCR). Throughout the day, there were over 30 people who visited and wanted to stitch on the panel! We thank Secretary Pamela Cashwell and the NCDNCR for their generosity and hospitality.

New Hampshire Tapestry Panel Directors Carol Tewes Ganse and Michelle McPheron hosted their kick off event at the Millyard Museum in Manchester, NH. New Hampshire Historical Society Director Elizabeth Dubrulle gave keynote remarks on the history depicted in the panel, followed by Abenaki historical consultant Sherry Gould who discussed the history behind the Indigenous motifs in the design. We thank Jeff Barraclough and Kristy Ellsworth for hosting our stitchers this year at the Millyard!

The Biggs Museum of American Art in Dover hosted the first community stitching session for the Delaware Tapestry Panel, led by Directors Becky Gutin and Amy Gilley. We could not have been more thrilled by the turnout! Be sure to keep an eye out for Becky and Amy as they travel throughout the state with the panel to different prestigious historical venues. A big thank you to the entire team at the Biggs Museum for ensuring Delaware's first event was such a smashing success.

The Rhode Island Tapestry Panel led by Karen Katin and Hope Brans stitched at the South County History Museum in Narragansett, RI this past month. We thank everyone at South County for their hospitality!

What's Next?

As we wait to hear the result of our $100,000 grant application to the National Endowment for the Arts, we are embarking on a sponsorship campaign to support our project. You can learn more by visiting our website under the Support Our Project tab. Individuals can make donations directly to Seton Hill University while we begin to reach out to potential corporate sponsors.

I plan to share further updates each month as our stitchers make progress on the panels and host events at different locations throughout the original 13 states. For inquiries on where you can see our stitchers at work, do not hesitate to reach out!

That's all for now. Thanks for reading and happy stitching,

Stefan Romero Project Director