A Tale of Two Tassels: Materializing Three Decades of Craft and Partnership
When invited to participate in the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s A Nation of Artists exhibition, I chose to look inward—not just at my own practice, but at the shared life and artistry that has sustained me for over three decades.
My partner, Elizabeth Paolini, is a master seamstress, upholsterer, and expert tassel-maker. Her meticulous work alongside the museum’s conservation team was vital to the restoration of Philadelphia’s historic 1808 Latrobe furniture, recreating the long-lost upholstery and passementerie that once defined the pieces.
As a nod to her invisible labor and profound expertise, I used my time in A Nation of Artists to re-contextualize her medium through mine. By recreating Beth’s textiles in steel—from die-forging the core to spinning individual steel wires into “thread”—I sought to experience her rigorous mastery through a blacksmith’s lens. This work is a conversation between two mediums, two histories of Philadelphia making, and two people.

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