The Art Is the Cloth

A creative visual tour of 300 tapestries throughout history to present day, showing how they're created and how to look at and understand them.

"An impressive presentation of what tapestry weavers are doing and of how to learn to see it . . . Of interest not only to tapestry weavers, but to all those interested in the art of weaving and art in general."
—Sandra Hutton, Executive Director Emerita, International Textile & Apparel Association

This guide from expert tapestry weaver and historian Micala Sidore gives how-to strategies enabling weavers and nonweavers to notice and appreciate the meaning of tapestries, what they can do, and how they do it. 

Enjoy more than 300 tapestries from the 12th to the 21st centuries, with Sidore's strategies enabling you to think about the weavings in ways you have never before considered. She groups pieces that talk with each other—and that also converse with the viewer.

—Enjoy learning basic elements of weaving to help you become increasingly sophisticated in understanding what you're seeing.

—Then, learn seven ways in which tapestries can call attention to themselves as cloth.

—Understand the eye-opening range of materials and visual themes, the use of trompe l’oeil, the importance of the direction in which the weaver weaves, and more.

After this learning experience, you'll bring smarter eyes to your museum wandering, deeper enjoyment to your collection and purchases, and surprising new skills and creativity to your weaving of fibers . . . and of life.