Symbolism and Subversion: An Exhibition of Jennifer Regan's Stitched Narratives
By Cambridge Public Library
On Display

.: Tuesday, May 2 12am – 11:59pm; Wednesday, May 3 12am – 11:59pm; Thursday, May 4 12am – 11:59pm; Friday, May 5 12am – 11:59pm; Saturday, May 6 12am – 11:59pm; Sunday, May 7 12am – 11:59pm; Monday, May 8 12am – 11:59pm; Tuesday, May 9 12am – 11:59pm; Wednesday, May 10 12am – 11:59pm; Thursday, May 11 12am – 11:59pm; Friday, May 12 12am – 11:59pm; Saturday, May 13 12am – 11:59pm; Sunday, May 14 12am – 11:59pm; Monday, May 15 12am – 11:59pm; Tuesday, May 16 12am – 11:59pm; Wednesday, May 17 12am – 11:59pm; Thursday, May 18 12am – 11:59pm; Friday, May 19 12am – 11:59pm; Saturday, May 20 12am – 11:59pm; Sunday, May 21 12am – 11:59pm; Monday, May 22 12am – 11:59pm; Tuesday, May 23 12am – 11:59pm; Wednesday, May 24 12am – 11:59pm; Thursday, May 25 12am – 11:59pm; Friday, May 26 12am – 11:59pm; Saturday, May 27 12am – 11:59pm; Sunday, May 28 12am – 11:59pm; Monday, May 29 12am – 11:59pm; Tuesday, May 30 12am – 11:59pm; Wednesday, May 31 12am – 11:59pm; Thursday, June 1 12am – 11:59pm; Friday, June 2 12am – 11:59pm; Saturday, June 3 12am – 11:59pm; Sunday, June 4 12am – 11:59pm; Monday, June 5 12am – 11:59pm; Tuesday, June 6 12am – 11:59pm; Wednesday, June 7 12am – 11:59pm; Thursday, June 8 12am – 11:59pm; Friday, June 9 12am – 11:59pm; Saturday, June 10 12am – 11:59pm; Sunday, June 11 12am – 11:59pm; Monday, June 12 12am – 11:59pm; Tuesday, June 13 12am – 11:59pm; Wednesday, June 14 12am – 11:59pm; Thursday, June 15 12am – 11:59pm; Friday, June 16 12am – 11:59pm; Saturday, June 17 12am – 11:59pm; Sunday, June 18 12am – 11:59pm; Monday, June 19 12am – 11:59pm; Tuesday, June 20 12am – 11:59pm; Wednesday, June 21 12am – 11:59pm; Thursday, June 22 12am – 11:59pm; Friday, June 23 12am – 11:59pm; Saturday, June 24 12am – 11:59pm; Sunday, June 25 12am – 11:59pm; Monday, June 26 12am – 11:59pm; Tuesday, June 27 12am – 11:59pm; Wednesday, June 28 12am – 11:59pm; Thursday, June 29 12am – 11:59pm; and Friday, June 30 12am – 11:59pm.
Ages: 18 and Adults.
Contact
Optional registration
- Sign-up is ongoing
Free!
Location
- In-person only.
449 Broadway
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States
Additional information
Lobby & Second Floor, Main Library
When author Jennifer Regan moved to Cambridge in the late 1980s, she had an artistic and feminist awakening. She had recently left behind a whirlwind life as the spouse of a prominent Buffalo politician. Newly divorced, middle aged, and in an unfamiliar city, Regan found artistic expression in poetry, painting, and most significantly quilt making or rather creating "stitched narratives," thematic stories sewn with symbolism and subversion.
Reworking the traditional themes of American quilts, such as a focus on biblical stories, she created narratives negotiating femininity, marriage, motherhood, and society through a feminist lens. For some of her pieces, Cambridge became a focal point - either directly inspiring her or serving as her subject. The Renaissance, politics, and societal inequities deeply influenced her other pieces. Regan's career as an artist in Cambridge flourished and she created over 100 pieces between 1989 and 2006. Her stitched narratives can be found in the New England Quilt Museum and Burchfield Penny Art Center collections.
This exhibit features the Library's newly acquired Jennifer Regan Stitched Narratives and explores the ways in which Cambridge influenced her artwork and new feminist perspective. View these exciting new additions to the Library's Archives and Special Collections on display at the Main Library in the Lobby and the Second Floor.
Last updated April 8, 2023.