Join us for a vibrant workshop with @folk.lounge, to explore the rich tradition of floral cross stitch in Soviet and Russian culture, focusing particularly on roses and flowers as symbols of transformation and potential.

Drawing inspiration from beloved Soviet animations like "Alenkiy Tsvetochek" (The Scarlet Flower, the Russian Beauty and the Beast) and "Tsvetik-Semitsvetik" (The Flower with Seven Petals), we'll explore how flowers symbolized human potential and the fulfillment of deepest wishes.

Through hands-on cross stitch techniques, participants will create their own floral embroidery pieces while discussing how these natural symbols transcend cultural boundaries yet carry specific cultural meanings about transformation and becoming.

The workshop connects these traditional patterns to contemporary life, demonstrating how the simple act of stitching can become a meditative practice for nurturing our own growth and honoring our wishes for beauty in the world.

The Wende is an art museum, cultural center, and archive that preserves history and brings it to life through exhibitions, scholarship, education, and community engagement. 

In community textiles series, we take needle and fabric not just as tools, but as instruments of memory, resilience, and reinvention. Inspired by the Wende collection—a tapestry of lives lived under constraint and in defiance of it—we gather to explore the quiet, radical act of making by hand. Every stitch is a story, every thread a link between past and present.

* Explore the Wende website to learn more about new books, walks and guest speakers!