Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 19, 2026

Tabitha Arnold

Tabitha Arnold is an American visual artist and labor organizer, specialized in textile art, particularly tapestries and punch needle embroidery. Her work is inspired by the history of the labor movement, as well as her own direct experiences as a worker and organizer.

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Tabitha Arnold
Arnold holding her work "Mill Town"
Born (1995-07-26) July 26, 1995
Chattanooga, Tennessee, U.S.
EducationPennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (BFA)
Known forTextile arts, union labor organizing
Awards2025 Southern Prize for Visual Arts
Websitewww.tabithaarnold.com

Tabitha Arnold (born 1995)12 is an American visual artist and labor organizer,3 specialized in textile art, particularly tapestries and punch needle embroidery.45 Her work is inspired by the history of the labor movement, as well as her own direct experiences as a worker and organizer.6

Arnold was a 2023 MacDowell Fellow in visual arts,7 and her work has been acquired by and displayed in different institutional collections internationally such as the Boston Museum of Fine Arts,8 and the Dom Museum in Vienna.4 She was also the recipient of the 2025 Southern Prize for visual arts.9

She attended the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and graduated with a BFA degree in 2017.110 Arnold was involved with the labor organization Philly Workers for Dignity, from 2019 to 2022.11

Exhibitions

  • Woodmere Annual (2018), group exhibition at the Woodmere Art Museum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania2
  • Workshop of the World (2024), at the List Gallery, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, Pennsylvania1
  • Gospel of the Working Class (2025), at the Institute of Contemporary Art, Chattanooga, Tennessee12
  • Gospel of the Working Class (2025), at the Field Projects Gallery, New York City, New York1314
References

References

  1. "Workshop of the World: Works by Tabitha Arnold". List Gallery, Swarthmore College. Retrieved December 11, 2025.
  2. Hine, Thomas (June 24, 2018). "Philadelphia takes on the world". The Philadelphia Inquirer. pp. H05 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. Wilson, Kevin Murphy (October 1, 2025). "Threading the Needle: A Conversation with Visual Artist Tabitha Arnold". Voice Tribune. Retrieved December 11, 2025.
  4. "Tabitha Arnold". Bemis Center. Retrieved December 11, 2025.
  5. Nevins, Jake (September 11, 2025). "Tabitha Arnold's Punch Needle Tapestries Are Not For Scabs". Interview Magazine. Retrieved December 11, 2025.
  6. "Tabitha Arnold: The People's Cathedral". Workers Arts and Heritage Centre. Retrieved December 11, 2025.
  7. "Tabitha Arnold - MacDowell Fellow in Visual Arts". MacDowell. Retrieved December 11, 2025.
  8. "Tabitha Arnold: Time Off Task". Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Retrieved December 11, 2025.
  9. "South Arts Announces 2025 Southern Prize for Visual Arts Winner and Finalist". South Arts. August 29, 2025. Retrieved December 11, 2025.
  10. Millar Fisher, Michelle (November 8, 2023). "Tabitha Arnold by Michelle Millar Fisher". BOMB Magazine. Retrieved February 23, 2026.
  11. Millman, Nico; Troop, Lauren (May 10, 2021). "Textile Art, Labor Organizing, and Socialism: An Interview with Tabitha K. Arnold". The Philadelphia Partisan. Retrieved December 11, 2025.
  12. Genis, Leia (February 18, 2025). "Tabitha Arnold's Tapestries Eulogize the Working Class". Hyperallergic. Retrieved December 11, 2025.
  13. Schwendener, Martha; Diehl, Travis; Russeth, Andrew; Steinhauer, Jillian (September 4, 2025). "What to See in Galleries in September". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 23, 2026.
  14. Corzine, Douglas (September 11, 2025). "Tabitha Arnold's Punch Needle Tapestries Are Not For Scabs". Interview Magazine. Retrieved February 23, 2026.
External links