Works in Thread and the Emergence of Israeli Fiber Art

Abstract

This article discusses the history of textile exhibitions in Israel during the state’s first three decades, focusing on the seminal yet completely overlooked exhibition Works in Thread, held at the Israel Museum’s Design & Architecture Department in 1975. As this article shows, Works in Thread was an eclectic compilation of applied- and art-textiles, both hand- and machine-made, but it particularly highlighted the new medium of art textiles, or fiber art, known locally as “work in soft thread.” I argue that this exhibition serves as an archeological site that reveals multiple currents in the short history Israel’s textile production, particularly a process by which textiles and fiber works were gradually perceived as objects for aesthetic consumption rather than merely useful ones. By considering Works in Thread in its historical context, this article seeks to illuminate the multi-faceted sources for Israel’s early fiber art, and contextualize the local manifestation of of and the international studio craft movement.