"Gathered Threads," at Peggy Mercury in Kent

"Gathered Threads," a new exhibition by Natalie Baxter, is now on view at Peggy Mercury in Kent. The Wassaic-based artist presents soft sculptures and quilted wall works rooted in techniques she learned from generations of quilters in her Kentucky family.

Baxter’s practice has long focused on how familiar objects—flags, guns, domestic items—can be reworked through fabric to shift their meaning. Her earlier series used stuffed, quilted forms to address subjects like nationalism and gun culture; here, the emphasis turns inward, toward domestic space and the structures that support communal life. 

The exhibition centers on objects associated with gathering: folding chairs, tables, aprons, baskets. According to the gallery’s description, these are rendered in patterned fabrics and stitched surfaces, with details that accumulate on closer inspection—appliquéd hands, stitched seams that remain visible, and materials like repurposed denim used to build oversized forms. A large basket made from jeans and quilted wall pieces featuring domestic scenes anchor the installation. 

The title, "Gathered Threads," reflects both process and subject. Baxter says quilts carry accumulated histories—materials reused, stories embedded, labor shared across generations.