Threaded Paths x MGSA Theatre — Call for Storytellers & Stitchers

vmramshur
2 days ago
2 min read

Updated: 1 day ago

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University, Threaded Paths is collaborating with the MGSA/Rutgers Theatre Department to develop a collective textile installation that celebrates the journeys, memories, and creative lives shaped there.

Threaded Paths premiered in Fall 2025 as an international textile art exhibition during New York Textile Month at the 3rd Ethos Gallery in Brooklyn. The exhibition showcased the work of 80 artists from 18 countries and 18 states. It quickly became popular with attendees and received positive reviews. Now, Threaded Paths aims to spotlight stories from this distinctive theater training community, encompassing students, alumni, faculty, staff, and creators of all kinds to encapsulate a moment in time. No sewing experience is necessary, just a story.

Footsteps become stitches. Threads become maps. Fabric becomes memory.

This is not simply a sewing project — it’s a reflection on where we’ve been, who we’ve become, and the paths that brought us here.

What to Make

Create a 10x10 inch textile square inspired by a journey connected to MGSA Theater
A move or migration
A walk across campus
A commute to class or rehearsal
A moment of artistic growth
A place you left or returned to
The winding path into (and through) a life in the theatre

More prompts can be found in our Drive Folder https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1_t92MSckQrz04-i0NGQezaS3vRZygtKu?usp=sharing

Every square will contribute to a large-scale installation chronicling five decades of creative journeys. This will be held at the Mary H. Dana Gallery, Douglass Library, Rutgers University, in March 2026.

Materials & Techniques

Entirely open — from detailed embroidery to unrefined collage.

Consider:

Stitching, appliqué, quilting,
Fabric, paper, thread, beads, trims, found items
Hand-sewn, machine-sewn, or glued (with at least one genuine stitch)
Unframed, unmounted, maximum 10” x 10”.

If you can thread a needle you can join in.

Submit Your Piece:

Include:

Name
Location
Role (student, alum, faculty, staff)
Program & class year (if applicable)
Title of work
Date completed
1–3 sentence reflection on the journey represented
Send 1 clear image via email + info (especially if your piece is still traveling).