Current Exhibits

The current exhibits, curated by the Overmountain Weavers Guild, celebrate the heritage craft of weaving. In the North Room, the guild is displaying two rare Appalachian rocker beater looms, which they have restored and are now using to weave curtains for the Main House.  On the walls in this room is a colorful display of yarn dyed naturally from plants, many from the Exchange Place gardens.

The South Room features a special exhibit of pieces from the OMWG’s 50th Anniversary Challenge and pieces honoring Suzanne Burow, a founding member of the guild.  When Suzanne picked up the first loom for Exchange Place, she was offered a box of “drafts” (instructions for warping a loom) that had belonged to Lucinda Phillips (1821-1903).  There were 70 drafts in all, each rolled around a bamboo tube and tied with linen and cotton thread.  Many of the drafts, including the “Morning Star” pattern drawn by Lucinda’s daughter and the “Counter Pin” draft from her mother-in-law, have been woven by members of the OMWG and are on display. Perhaps the most interesting is the “Huckerback Draft” given to Lucinda by her sister-in-law before she left for Iowa and which aptly contains the phrase, “When this you see, remember me.”