The Design Museum
Located in 124 Cruess Hall on the UC Davis campus, The Design Museum is free and open to the public.
It is open Monday through Friday, noon - 4 p.m.
To arrange a group visit, or for further information please call (530) 752-6150 or email [email protected].
The UC Davis Design Museum opens its 2026–27 season with Connecting Threads (together): Textile Works by Lynn Setterington, Sept. 29 through Nov. 20.
Collaboration is at the heart of textile making and this idea is explored in a display of work by UK based artist Lynn Setterington. Through textiles the artist challenges contemporary issues in society and how stitch can be used to commemorate people and communities.
Connecting Threads (together) was previously exhibited at the Fashion and Textile Museum in London — the same museum which previously exhibited pieces from the Jo Ann C. Stabb Design Collection, part of the Department of Design in the College of Letters and Science at UC Davis.
Lynn Setterington
Setterington is an ethnographic embroiderer who communicates with the world through stitch. She has worked with underserved communities across the globe, including in the UK, India, Bangladesh, Brazil and the U.S. She draws on popular culture and textile history to raise awareness of societal issues. Themes range from sustainability, place, well-being and identity and belonging.
Born in Yorkshire, Setterington trained at Goldsmith’s College, London and her Ph.D. is from UCA Farnham. She is a freelance artist and creative consultant. She left academia in 2025 after 30 years as a Senior Lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University.
Her quilts and cloths are held in many public collections including the Victoria and Albert Museum, Crafts Council, Denver Museum and the Whitworth Art Gallery. Tirzah Garwood’s notion of the ‘sophisticated naive’ resonates with her approach. She is the author of Connecting Threads: Tactile Social History, published by Quick Thorn Books.
Free exhibition and workshop
In conjunction with the exhibition, Setterington will present a workshop that explores a method of recycling and reuse of different types of waste cloth. The workshop will be held at 6 p.m. on Sept. 30 in Cruess Hall. Space is limited and participants must register in advance. Register here.
This exhibition is co-sponsored by the Maria Manetti Shrem Institute for Sustainable Design, Fashion and Textiles
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