Centuries ago, needlepoint and needlework taught girls and women how to read and write. A sewing needle was as mighty as a pen, it was a way out, the apple of knowledge in the garden of Eden. In 1872, the Royal School of Needlework was founded both to preserve needlework as an art form and to continue to empower women. The exhibition “150 Years of the Royal School of Needlework: Crown to Catwalk” showcases the organization’s rich history and its contribution to the art world at large. Needlework, after all, is an art form. —Sophie Kemp