Enjoy “The Tree of Lace” on exhibit near our parking lot door in October. Artist Pam Bonaguide collects vintage and antique lace and preserves them in cement. These doilies are hung together on a tree to represent the community of dedicated makers.
Doilies were popular in the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century to adorn an elegant dining table, brighten a side table or protect an upholstered chair from a man’s Macassar hair oil. Women collected threads and sent away for patterns. They might work tirelessly during hot summer afternoons or under kerosene light to create these pieces. Lace was thought to bring warmth, charm and could provoke conversation amongst the hostess and her guests. Although the pieces in this installation may share similar patterns, techniques or threads, each is as individual as the women who made them.
Pam Bonaguide of Tall Tales and Curiosity Studio, Framingham is a local artist and a collector of old things. Here she saves torn, discolored, or unwanted lace. She considers each piece to be a gift from the past. Find her on Instagram @talltalesandandcuriosities.