The Dowry Project: Artist-Led Embroidery Workshop

In her series of works titled The Dowry Project, Sonia Zymantas responded to the traditional custom of the dowry, and women’s craft as a rite of passage historically tied to marriage, motherhood and domestic life. Sonia used her own Greek dowry in this project, and through a feminist lens, embroidered new words into inherited textiles to challenge gendered language and long-standing stereotypes.

This workshop begins with a short introduction by a museum curator, exploring the intersection of women’s history and textiles, before joining the artist in a hands-on embroidery activity guided by conversation and reflection. Consider what is most meaningful to you within your own culture, write it down and begin embroidering it onto your own fabric.

This workshop invites women of all walks of life to celebrate their culture in ways significant to them.