Workshops

Threading South Asia: Painting with Thread

Threading South Asia is a new workshop series at ROM exploring South Asian embroidery techniques and traditions and is inspired by the South Asian textile collections. Led by skilled artists and cultural practitioners, each workshop invites participants to learn foundational stitches, understand materials, and create a small piece of their own. Through this series, participants not only learn the technical aspects of embroidery, but also gain insight into the social, historical, and cultural contexts that shape the work. No prior experience is necessary. 

Inspired by drawing and painting practices, this workshop invites participants to engage with the expressive nature of intuitively embroidering by hand. Inspired by the textile collections at ROM, participants will explore embroidery as a gestural and painterly medium, treating needle and thread much like brush and paint. Using as a base kasavu mundu textile from Kerala, floating embroidery technique is introduced to further encourage freedom and spontaneity. This approach to embroidery makes space for personal expression, encouraging participants to feel their way through the medium rather than following a fixed pattern or design.