The Fabric Workshop and Museum — Attraction in Philadelphia

My Museum and Food Bestie and I took a Girlcation to Philly. She had discovered this Museum. It was not at all what we were expecting. We went in May 2024. The exhibits and number of floors available for public viewing rotate.

We had previously gone together to the Southeastern Quilt and Textile Museum in Carrollton. GA. I think we both thought this would be a very similar set of installations. It was very much not heirloom granny quilts.

When we went every exhibit had a strong LGBTQIA + theme but was inclusive for any viewer. I mainly took photos of Jessica Campbell 's Heterodoxy which runs through June 2, 2024. There are 16 hand-tufted wall coverings. There is a sample block you can touch. There are several tables with chairs that continue the hand-tufted theme which displaying an array of images. This exhibit had a flyer with more information about the images selected by this Toronto Canadian artist.

I wish the other exhibits had flyers of information to take home while digesting the images presented.

The next floor available was interactive and a combination of objects and video by she/her artists Rose and John. There is a final safe space room that is well light and includes a closet of clothes for participants to try on different genders.

Later on our trip I saw a young man with a "Protect Trans Lives" tee shirt. I mentioned the exhibit and Museum to him and his friends. They mentioned they were about to leave Philly but would come back to see this exhibit.

The final exhibit made the least impact on me. Perhaps because I grew up with Filipino Healthcare Professionals for Family and Family Friends the embodiment of caregiver and being cared for didn't really bring me new insight. I do respect that the artist has a different view of the Culture of the Philippines and identifies as a more modern interpretation...

Strange and uncomfortable....the "suggested donation" isn't a suggestion at all. I held out a twenty after the man told me "it's $5 a person to get in" he just stared at it like he had never seen money before I was expecting a $5 in exchange since there were only 3 of us I ended up just shoving the $20 in the donation box because I just wanted to get away from this guy...of all of the museums I've been in I have never been wanded down with a metal detector... You would swear they think it's the U.S. mint they're protecting and not a bunch of dish rags. My daughter did get to use a loom and the women on floor #2 were great. The guy at reception was creepy and followed us around the first floor where he stood watching us while avoiding eye contact and offering no explanation of the art or his strange behavior. My 11 year old daughter thought it was absurd that's how incredibly strange it was. If there was a different display and the suggested donation was actually just a suggestion I might consider returning but not while this creepy gentleman is employed there. Most uncomfortable situation I've ever encountered in a museum and I have been to many. Also there was very little actual fabric. I actually saw more on display at the liberty museum. I literally could have made everything I saw here myself probably for what it cost me to view it. worst experience of my trip and I walked through a tunnel that wreaked of human urine filled with unsavory types and walked past a man on the street who I'm pretty sure was dead from an overdose so that's...

The Fabric Workshop and Museum in Philadelphia is a really cool place where artists come together to create amazing things. It’s right in the city at 1214 Arch St, and it’s not just a museum where you look at art—it’s a place where art is made. Since 1977, it’s been a spot where artists can try out new ideas and work with different materials. They even have a special program that lets artists stay and work there to develop new projects. The museum has a huge collection of art made by lots of different artists, so there’s always something new and exciting to see. If you love art or just want to see something different, this place is definitely worth a visit. It’s all about getting hands-on with art and seeing how it can...