Delawareans have several chances over the coming months to add their touch to artwork celebrating the 250th birthday of the United States.
The America’s Tapestry Project is coordinating the creation of 13 fabric panels, one for each of the original colonies, including the First State. Each state’s panel tells a story from its Revolutionary era history. Delaware’s piece portrays Major Henry Fisher, who organized and equipped a company of 100 soldiers tasked with watching and guarding the water route to Philadelphia, then the nation’s capital.
“He would signal to the lighthouse keeper, who in turn would then fire off signals to either towers or lighthouses further up the river, or maybe to soldiers on the ground to say, ‘ hey, we've got this British ship coming up the river,'" says .That’s Amy Gilley, one of the organizers of Delaware’s tapestry.
Her colleague, Becky Gutin says that with a nearly four foot by three foot canvas, they have a lot to do.
“Almost 1600 square inches of stitching that has to be done between now and next April," she says. "We do have a deadline.”
The next opportunity for the public to add some stitches to Delaware’s 1,600 square inch project is Saturday, August 23 at the Biggs Museum in Dover, but organizers say they will be bringing the tapestry around the state to let Delawareans join the project.
And, says Becky Gutin, you don’t have to be an experienced stitcher to participate.
“We have had people stop by who don't stitch and we'll work with them to have them put in one or two stitches, just because this is the once in a lifetime thing," she says.
Among the Delawareans adding stitches to the project is Governor Matt Meyer, who pitched in at the Delaware State Fair.
Saturday’s event at the Biggs begins at 11am, and participants are encouraged to reserve a time by emailing americastapestry.de@gmail.com
Delaware Public Media's arts coverage is made possible, in part, by support from the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency dedicated to nurturing and supporting the arts in Delaware, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts.
