News Media
Sewing seeds of city history
Trio of tapestries weaves Annapolis' 300-year-old yarn
The Capital, August 2, 2007
By Nicole Young, Staff Writer
With 40 pounds of wool and more than 3,000 hours of stitching ahead, local needleworkers are about to tackle the largest sewing project in city history - and it will be built to last.
Creating a tapestry depicting the 300 years of Annapolis history may be the biggest and most time-consuming project for the city's 300th anniversary next year.
"There are just so many stories to be told," said Remy Agee, chairman for the tapestry project and wife of City Administrator Bob Agee. "But we're trying to keep a really local flavor."
Two Annapolis women are volunteering their time to re-create history through very intricate needlework, and the public is invited to participate as the project makes its rounds through the city.
Mrs. Agee and Hollis Minor, a member of a business consulting company called the Minor Group who has more than 20 years experience in the needle-working industry, are working to get as many people involved as possible.
"It's an interactive public art project," Mrs. Agee said. "We want to make it so everyone has a chance to do some stitching. Not many people get to be part of a museum display."
The idea stemmed from Mrs. Agee's visit to sister city Annapolis Royal in Nova Scotia, where in 2005 the city completed a tapestry project for its 400th anniversary.
"I just couldn't get over how magnificent it was," she said. "I thought about it for a year."
The project includes three large tapestries, which will each measure 31/2 by 51/2 feet and depict 100 years of change from a bird's-eye view of the City Dock. It begins in 1708 and shows everything from boats at the dock to the actual buildings and people who shaped Annapolis' history.
"It's interesting to see them side-by-side and see how the area has developed and changed," Mrs. Agee said.
Each large tapestry will be surrounded by three or four smaller ones that will measure about 18 by 24 inches. They plan 15 of those representing cultural, social, economic and political events over the past three centuries.
Work on the project started last year and will continue through 2009, Mrs. Agee said. She estimates the entire project will cost about $45,000. It's being funded by donations.
"This is a serious long-term project," Mrs. Minor said. "They'll last thousands of years and outlive all of us."
Currently, they're finishing details and designs for the tapestry. Next they'll paint the design on canvass, then start stitching.
With the help of historians, Mrs. Agee and Mrs. Minor have been finalizing details down to every stitch.
Hoping to start sewing this fall, the team also hopes to take the finished tapestries on the road, showing them at museums and lending them to historical projects and programs.
Mrs. Agee said several groups already have agreed to participate in the project, including the New Annapolitans needlework group, Annapolis Royal in Nova Scotia, the Annapolis Needlework Guild, Centro de Ayuda and Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts.
She's also recruiting local schools, religious organizations and senior centers to take part in the stitching.
"School kids to seniors can do this," she said. "This is the community creating the event, it's so much more than just observing."
Pamphlets will accompany the tapestry. They'll describe the history of the city, as well the process of actually making the textile.
For more about the project, including donations or volunteering, call Mrs. Minor at 410 573-5854 or e-mail her at 300tapestry@comcast.net.
Published August 02, 2007, The Capital, Annapolis, Md.
Copyright © 2007 The Capital, Annapolis, Md.
