Tabitha Arnold

Tabitha Arnold
Arnold holding her work "Mill Town"
Born (1995-07-26) July 26, 1995
EducationPennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (BFA)
Known forTextile arts, union labor organizing
Awards2025 Southern Prize for Visual Arts
Websitewww.tabithaarnold.com

Tabitha Arnold (born 1995)[1][2] is an American visual artist and labor organizer,[3] specialized in textile art, particularly tapestries and punch needle embroidery.[4][5] Her work is inspired by the history of the labor movement, as well as her own direct experiences as a worker and organizer.[6]

Arnold was a 2023 MacDowell Fellow in visual arts,[7] and her work has been acquired by and displayed in different institutional collections internationally such as the Boston Museum of Fine Arts,[8] and the Dom Museum in Vienna.[4] She was also the recipient of the 2025 Southern Prize for visual arts.[9]

She attended the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and graduated with a BFA degree in 2017.[1][10] Arnold was involved with the labor organization Philly Workers for Dignity, from 2019 to 2022.[11]

Exhibitions

  • Woodmere Annual (2018), group exhibition at the Woodmere Art Museum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania[2]
  • Workshop of the World (2024), at the List Gallery, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, Pennsylvania[1]
  • Gospel of the Working Class (2025), at the Institute of Contemporary Art, Chattanooga, Tennessee[12]
  • Gospel of the Working Class (2025), at the Field Projects Gallery, New York City, New York[13][14]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Workshop of the World: Works by Tabitha Arnold". List Gallery, Swarthmore College. Retrieved December 11, 2025.
  2. ^ a b Hine, Thomas (June 24, 2018). "Philadelphia takes on the world". The Philadelphia Inquirer. pp. H05 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ Wilson, Kevin Murphy (October 1, 2025). "Threading the Needle: A Conversation with Visual Artist Tabitha Arnold". Voice Tribune. Retrieved December 11, 2025.
  4. ^ a b "Tabitha Arnold". Bemis Center. Retrieved December 11, 2025.
  5. ^ Nevins, Jake (September 11, 2025). "Tabitha Arnold's Punch Needle Tapestries Are Not For Scabs". Interview Magazine. Retrieved December 11, 2025.
  6. ^ "Tabitha Arnold: The People's Cathedral". Workers Arts and Heritage Centre. Retrieved December 11, 2025.
  7. ^ "Tabitha Arnold - MacDowell Fellow in Visual Arts". MacDowell. Retrieved December 11, 2025.
  8. ^ "Tabitha Arnold: Time Off Task". Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Retrieved December 11, 2025.
  9. ^ "South Arts Announces 2025 Southern Prize for Visual Arts Winner and Finalist". South Arts. August 29, 2025. Retrieved December 11, 2025.
  10. ^ Millar Fisher, Michelle (November 8, 2023). "Tabitha Arnold by Michelle Millar Fisher". BOMB Magazine. Retrieved February 23, 2026.
  11. ^ Millman, Nico; Troop, Lauren (May 10, 2021). "Textile Art, Labor Organizing, and Socialism: An Interview with Tabitha K. Arnold". The Philadelphia Partisan. Retrieved December 11, 2025.
  12. ^ Genis, Leia (February 18, 2025). "Tabitha Arnold's Tapestries Eulogize the Working Class". Hyperallergic. Retrieved December 11, 2025.
  13. ^ Schwendener, Martha; Diehl, Travis; Russeth, Andrew; Steinhauer, Jillian (September 4, 2025). "What to See in Galleries in September". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 23, 2026.
  14. ^ Corzine, Douglas (September 11, 2025). "Tabitha Arnold's Punch Needle Tapestries Are Not For Scabs". Interview Magazine. Retrieved February 23, 2026.