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Sampler /’sa:mpl / n. a piece of embroidery worked in various stitches as a specimen of proficiency
(often displayed on a wall etc.). [Old French essamplaire (as EXEMPLAR]
The Concise Oxford Dictionary.
American-born Kate Westerholt made her first sampler when she was just eight years old, and began creating
them for the art market in the late Nineties.
Collectors of Westerholt’s work include Blur and Gorillaz frontman Damon Albarn.
In a digital age Kate painstakingly crafts for up to a month perfecting the design and finish of each
sampler.
In 2006, Westerholt was commissioned by British Vogue to create a one-off sampler for the July edition of
the magazine.
The Vogue embroidery, entitled ‘Blingin’ innit’, was chosen for inclusion in an in-store exhibition at the
Liberty of London department store.
Kate Westerholt is currently based in London, and is represented by the Tom Tom Gallery.
Kate Westerholt creates original samplers with a 21st Century twist. Her work is a kind of cross-stitch
time clash - Westerholt playfully adds snippets of contemporary culture to the 18th Century colonial
American embroidery motifs she’s inspired by. Traditional pictorial scenes of figures, birds and flowers
are inscribed with the vernacular of now.
These are not nice girl samplers. Whereas historically such embroideries have incorporated biblical
references, it’s music and pop culture that crop up in Kate’s work.
Westerholt weaves song lyrics and film quotes into her work. These provide a social commentary of
sorts, on topics such as the appropriation of hip-hop culture into the mainstream. Kate Westerholt’s
work places the longevity of popular culture under scrutiny, posing questions like - will Missy
Elliot’s lyrics endure? How will our culture be perceived in 100 years?
Sampler facts
Samplers were originally used to record new patterns, motifs and stitches in an era before pattern
books existed.
Gradually, as samplers became more sophisticated they began to exist as an art form in their own right,
and becoming decorative historical documents.
In the 18th Century America samplers were a way for young girls to prove their worthiness for marriage
or domestic service.
The earliest surviving sampler was created by Jane Bostocke in 1598, and is housed in the V&A museum
in London.
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