Hook It and Hang It and They Will Come

I’ve been a member of the Atlanta Dogwood ATHA guild for well over a decade, and I find it amusing when someone mentions the phrase “rug show” and then sighs. Seems our chapter—like many—was in its comfort zone, happy to attend workshops, hook-ins, and potlucks, but not too focused on promoting the art. “It’s a lot of work,” I heard countless times. What was needed was a loud-mouthed redhead to stir things up. That’s me, and I’m not a fan of potlucks and potato salad. 

So, we got to work. After 12 months of planning, we were thrilled with our three-month exhibit and the 40,000 people who saw Off the Hook—Exploring our Rug Hooking Heritage. It was a time filled with smiles, tears, and “ah, ha!” moments. We exceeded our goal—we reached into our community to bring our rug hooking heritage to the forefront by planting seeds and touching hearts. In this article, we put together the best of what we learned in the hope that our story will inspire others. Consider this the “how to” of putting on a rug exhibit!

This article is from the June/July/August 2013 issue. For more information on our issues, check out our issues page.