Tabitha Arnold

It was an honor and a dream to present my tapestry to President Díaz-Canel as a gift to the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples. ICAP is its permanent home! This weekend we celebrated the Nuestra América convoy, bringing a critical mass of material aid from three continents to our Cuban brothers and sisters in protest of the US oil blockade. I was moved by enduring a 20-hour apagón after the power grid collapsed across the island, and I witnessed the Cuban peoples’ resilience and resourcefulness in pushing through the darkness. Lift the genocidal 60-year blockade on this country, whose people only want to live with dignity and self-determination! Let Cuba Live!

We took the trek down to Lexington and landed at Institute 193 (@institute193 ) just before the KY debut of Tabitha Arnold (@tabithakarnold )’s traveling “Gospel of the Working Class” tapestry series. Tabitha was kind enough to pop open a drink and educate us on the past and present moments of labor power of her hometown of Chattanooga, Tennessee. Go see these monumental pieces of perhaps-intentionally under-heralded Southern history for yourself now until June 6th! And wait a second, that’s not @hillbillycurator ! Interview by Zack Poehlein (@derbycitymidnight ) Editing by William Smith IV (@trianglejeff ) Music: Something That Thinks It’s You Will Live Forever by Doctor Turtle sourced from Free Music Archive and licensed under an Attribution 4.0 International License. #art #kentucky #lexington #chattanooga #tennessee

Embroidery almost done 🗣️

Institute 193 is thrilled to announce the latest iteration of 2025 South Arts Prize winner Tabitha Arnold’s “Gospel of the Working Class”, a series of four large-scale tapestries that map Chattanooga’s distinct legacy of labor struggles. First exhibited at the ICA Chattanooga (Chattanooga, TN) in January 2025, later at Field Projects (New York, NY), and recently included in the group exhibition The Body is a Drum, The Voice a Song, The Soul a Fire at the Knoxville Museum of Art (Knoxville, TN), Institute 193 is thrilled to help these tapestries continue their journey. Please join us for the opening reception and say hi to Tabitha on the auspicious day of Friday, May 1, from 6-8pm. Notably, the Lexington exhibition of “Gospel of the Working Class” will mark the public debut of the fourth and final tapestry in the series, Mustard Seed, depicting the actions of union workers from Chattanooga and the Knights of Labor in the Coal Creek War of the 1890s.

“God Bless the Knights of Labor with all their wit and skill; Their efforts to accomplish, intentions to fulfill. I am in sympathy with the miner as everyone should be, Other states they work free labor, and why not Tennessee?” - Betty Litton Davis’s alternative verse in “Coal Creek Troubles,” originally written by Jilson Setters.

I welcome the American century of humiliation as long as I’m doing it with friends.

We were honored to host the opening of Let Cuba Live, an exhibition bringing together artists raising their voices in solidarity with the Cuban people at a critical moment. At the heart of the exhibition is Primero de Mayo, a handmade tapestry by Tabitha K. Arnold depicting the extraordinary International Workers’ Day commemorations in Havana, alongside original screenprints by artists committed to international solidarity. The show also features original prints by Rachel Domond, Josh Mayfield, and Hannah Priscilla. During the opening, Tabitha spoke about the role of artists in building international solidarity and illuminating struggles against injustice, reflecting on how Cuba continues to stand as a beacon against the horrors of capitalism, showing that better way of living is possible. For more than 65 years, Cuba has faced a brutal U.S. blockade, and the Trump administration’s recent fuel blockade has deepened hardships for families, hospitals, and communities. In moments like these, everyone, including artists, must answer the call to build solidarity and demand justice. ‼️🔗 The tapestry is for sale with all proceeds going to solar panels and generators for Cuban hospitals! Interested in buying it or giving funds to donate it for permanent exhibition at The People’s Forum? DM us! Prints of all of the works are available for sale in person at 1804 Books— proceeds will be donated to the fundraiser to send solar generators and panels to Cuban hospitals Donate now at letcubalive.info/donate

Tabitha Arnold makes remarkable tapestries about labor movements, past and present, from garment factory strikes to auto workers’ unions. I was absolutely floored when I saw her work IRL in NY last fall, and was delighted to profile her (and chat with art historians and current union organizers about what her art means to them) for @guardian_us In a world where so much of media and pop culture focuses on the uber wealthy, Arnold’s pieces go the other direction, focusing instead on the working people who make up the 99%. Photos all belong to @tabithakarnold , text pulled from my Guardian story P.S. This story — and the leading tapestry in this post, which is about a textile workers’ strike — also gave me an excuse to look back on the ways that interviewing garment workers served as my informal early political education. More on that in my newsletter, if ye find yourself interested.

I was honored to present “Primero de Mayo” at the Cuban Embassy on the 9th anniversary of Fidel’s death. I gave a speech about art, labor organizing, and the importance of Cuban solidarity as an American worker, which I have now published in writing. Link in bio. [Photos by Rebecca Raia, David Ramirez Alvarez, & National Network on Cuba.]

Designs I made for @demsocialists membership drive! You’ll get these on a very special limited edition T-shirt if you sign up 3 new people to join DSA. 💪🌹

2 months in Omaha is drawing to an end. My Appalachian heart is not built for the plains, but I learned so much, made new friends, and have many more ideas in my pocket than I showed up with. @bemiscenter is an amazing place.