Dai Newman (Ohio)

Collocated Foliage

Blackwork
Designed and stitched by Dai Newman

“One of my favorite parts of cataloging are the decisions about how to group things together using their aboutness. The tools and rubrics we have don’t always capture everything, so we have to decide what is good enough. Much like these floral shapes, objects could go in multiple spots, but ultimately catalogers have to prioritize one aspect or subject over the others. Also, similar to stitching, most people only see the polished, finished product and I wanted to use the mirror image here to offer a peek into the messy back end.”

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Dai Newman is the cataloging and instruction librarian at Columbus College of Art and Design in Columbus, Ohio.

Dai’s piece includes a row of floral and foliage motifs in rainbow floss on the top. The next row is a pattern of squirrels with acorns, with a blackwork flower in the middle. The pattern is repeated in mirror below, but with the backside of the stitching showing instead of the finished front.