Community Corner

Scholar to Give History Lesson on Lace

Former RISD curator Madelyn Shaw presents 'Lace: Threads of History' in Barrington library on Thursday evening.

The former Rhode Island Lace Works factory in West Barrington created some of the most beautiful textiles in the world in its time. And numerous jobs.

You can learn all about lace – a longtime fashion favorite – and its history in Barrington at a presentation on Thursday evening, Nov. 21, in the library auditorium. 

“Lace: Threads of History” starts at 7 pm.

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Madelyn Shaw, a museum and nonprofit consultant, independent curator and author who specializes in the study of American history and culture through dress and textiles, will lead the presentation. It is sponsored by the Barrington Preservation Society and its museum in the library.

Shaw will explore the beginnings of lace-making in Renaissance Europe and its history of smuggling, kidnapping, economic ruin, and artistic grandeur to the Victorian era, said Carole Villucci, museum director.

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Shaw is the author of numerous publications and papers and her work has won numerous awards. She is the former curator of costumes and textiles at the Rhode Island School of Design Museum.


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