Venture back to 1889, the opening semester of what would later be known as Teachers College, to explore how TC’s earliest students built critical skills like sewing and weaving into economic opportunity — and trace the history of textile arts at the College from then to today. A new article from the Gottesman Libraries explores just that in honor of their two exhibits: “Filaments of Learning” in the Offit Gallery, and “Textiles in Learning and Teaching.”

In exploring the history of textile arts, Victoria Santamorena, the processing archivist for Gottesman’s special collections who authored the piece, says that “we can see the artistic output, intellectual curiosity, and material engagement of students and instructors past. By examining these archival traces, we can follow the threads and reveal one of the many ways women have shaped Teachers College, explore attitudes towards the fine arts and arts in craft over time, and trace changing ideas about the role of art in education.”

Read Santamorena’s deep dive into the rich history of textile arts at Teachers College, and visit Gottesman Libraries to see its legacy in the exhibits, “Filaments of Learning” and “Textiles in Learning and Teaching.”

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Sewing class at Teachers College. Date unknown. (Photo: TC Archives) 

A 1909 textile exhibit in Grace Dodge Hall. (Photo: TC Archives) 

A dressmaking class taught by Professor Jane Fales (rear, second from right) in the "clothing laboratory" on the third floor of Grace Dodge Hall. Date captured estimated between 1909 and 1915.  (Photo: TC Archives)