one of Candance Hicks' embroidery composition notebooks

Candace Hicks’ “Common Threads,” vol. 132, an ongoing series of embroideries in the form of composition notebooks, is part of the Women’s Work collection within the new Polonsky Exhibition in the New York Public Library.

an embroidery entry from Candace Hicks’ “Common Threads,” vol. 132

Candace Hicks’ “Common Threads,” vol. 132, an ongoing series of embroideries in the form of composition notebooks, is part of the Women’s Work collection within the new Polonsky Exhibition in the New York Public Library.


NACOGDOCHES, Texas – Works by Candace Hicks, associate professor of art in the School of Art at Stephen F. Austin State University, have recently been included in a new permanent collection in the New York Public Library.

Hicks’ “Common Threads,” vol. 132, an ongoing series of embroideries in the form of composition notebooks, is part of the Women’s Work collection within the new Polonsky Exhibition.

For more than 125 years, The New York Public Library has collected, preserved and made accessible the world’s knowledge. Now, for the first time, the Polonsky Exhibition of The New York Public Library’s Treasures showcases some of the most extraordinary items from the 56 million in the library’s collections, inspiring and empowering visitors to discover, learn and create new knowledge today and in the years ahead, according to information at the Polonsky Exhibition web page.

The treasures in the exhibition tell the stories of people, places and moments spanning 4,000 years, from the emergence of the written word through to the present day. Visitors will encounter manuscripts, artworks, letters, still and moving images and recordings. While the Library’s collections have always been available for public use, the Polonsky Exhibition builds on the 125-year legacy by offering a unique opportunity to make new connections and expand an understanding of the world and each other, the website states.

The exhibition includes many unique items, such as Thomas Jefferson’s hand-written copy of the Declaration of Independence, Charles Dickens’ desk and Christopher Robin’s stuffed animals. 

According to Hicks, the works in“ Common Threads” subvert expectations for an object familiar to many, transforming rigid cardboard and paper into flexible cloth. Their covers vary to match their content, ranging from drones and dragonflies to lobsters, cocktail umbrellas and purple crayons. On the interior “pages,” Hicks sews commentaries about her reading. Volume 132 concerns coral. Inside, the artist rendered the words: “Three corals in a row is already a lot, but then I read ‘The Witch of Blackbird Pond.’ In it a young woman is reminded of her home in Barbados when she picks up a piece of coral in her friend’s home in New England.”

For more information about Hicks’ work, visit her website.