The Black Gold Tapestry

On View February 3, 2026 – June 14, 2026 After a museum visit revived Sandra Sawatzky’s interest in embroidery in 2007, she conceived of The Black Gold Tapestry, which she describes as a “film on cloth” devoted to the cultural history of fossil fuels. Sawatzky, who resides in Calgary (the oil capital of Canada), hand embroidered this 220-foot-long tableau over the course of nine years. To tackle the imposing subject, she conducted extensive research: “Geology, paleontology, chemistry, mining, automobiles, aeroplanes, rockets, drilling, distillation, weapons, whaling child labour, combustion engines, robber barons, textile mills, the world wars, royal jewels, and the colour purple, just to name a few, that all inform this history of oil.” Sawatzky, who has worked in fashion and film, began by making drawings in a sketchbook. She then traced and arranged these elements in a paper cartoon, which guided her design on the linen cloth. Formally, The Black Gold Tapestry takes cues from… View Source