Tabitha Arnold makes labor-intensive art. Born in Chattanooga, TN, she studied painting in Philadelphia before transitioning into weaving and punch needle embroidery. Her meticulous tapestries, inspired by radical history and her experiences as a worker, organizer, and artist, have been featured in Jacobin Magazine, Hyperallergic, and on issue covers of Dissent Magazine. Arnold is a finalist for the 2023 Arte Laguna prize in Venice, Italy, and a member of the American Craft Council's 2022 Emerging Artist Cohort.
At MacDowell, she explored a sculptural approach to tapestry, bringing her tradition of textile storytelling into a hanging object that takes on three-dimensional form. Gospel, is a punch needle embroidered rug about the history of the South as a site of revolutionary struggle, expressed through its traditions of folk music, fiber art, and Christian spirituality.
