What
Is EGA?
The Embroiderers'
Guild of America, Inc., (EGA), was formed for the express purpose of
fostering the art of needlework and associated arts. EGA seeks to promote
cooperation and the exchange of ideas among those who are engaged in
needlework throughout the world by encouraging a high standard of design
and technique in embroidery. EGA provides a center to be used as a bureau
of education and information regarding the art of embroidery for all
guild members. It is our purpose to conduct instruction and research
in the art of needlework and to distribute related materials and publications
to members and to the public.
EGA was established
in New York in 1958 as a branch of The Embroiderers' Guild of London
(established 1906). EGA withdrew from the London Guild in 1970 and The
Embroiderers' Guild of America came into being. EGA is made up of 13
regions across the US and Canada and is comprised of 345 chapters, including
a cyberspace chapter, with international representation among the nearly
16,000 members. EGA is a not-for-profit corporation operating and existing
under the laws of the State of Kentucky. EGA headquarters, located in
the Brown Hotel in Louisville, KY, is staffed by four employees, with
the facility open Monday through Friday, 8:30 A.M. - 5:00 P.M.
Membership in EGA
is open to anyone interested in embroidery from the beginner to the
professional. Members work within local chapters or a member-at-large
network to improve their skills and knowledge. Also, the organization
and individual members are involved with museums for education and preservation
purposes. EGA offers individual and group correspondence courses, teacher
and judge certification programs as well as nine separate disciplines
in master craftsman programs. To provide a broad scope of the needlework
industry, EGA and its chapters regularly invite internationally recognized
artists to hold workshops in this country. EGA sponsors a national exhibit
every three years with both members and non-members submitting pieces
for the juried exhibit which ultimately travels for two years to various
venues throughout the country. Many pieces of embroidery created today
qualify as fiber art.
EGA is dedicated
to an organized outreach program to reach out to and share with our
communities. All regions and chapters are responsible for establishing
and maintaining such a program using embroidery to benefit their own
communities. Significant contributions have been made throughout the
country to The American Heart Association, Women's Heart Health Research
and Habitat for Humanity. In 1995 and 1996 EGA was given the honor of
producing needlework ornaments for the White House Christmas tree. EGA
members from all 50 states contributed their talents to this project.
EGA's headquarters
houses a textile collection of nearly 900 pieces acquired through the
generous donations of members and others who recognize the organization's
dedication to the preservation of textiles and the promotion and education
of needle arts. The collection, established as a resource for study
and research, is made available to the membership for study as well
as for exhibits at various official EGA sponsored events and for museum
exhibits. The Margaret Parshall Gallery displays needlework on a rotating
schedule from EGA's chapters and regions, as well as individuals and
non-EGA groups. The gallery, located at the Fourth Avenue entrance to
the Brown Hotel, is open to the public.
EGA is a proud member
of the International Council of Needlework Associations (ICNA). ICNA
was created at a summit meeting of ten related organizations hosted
by EGA in Louisville, KY in 1990. ICNA's mission is to support the art
of embroidery by providing a forum for the dissemination of information,
while maintaining the integrity of the individual member organizations.
