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The Raleigh Lace Museum is managed by the Kristin S. Conrad Lace Center
Foundation. Its mission includes the provision of venue in Raleigh that serves
as a center for education, study and the exhibition of Lace. The Foundation instituted
a range of instructional, programmatic and emerging needs, including instruction, lectures
and demonstrations on lacemaking for adults and youth and supporting local and regional
lace showcases. It features one of the largest libraries of books on the subject of lace.
The library is accessible to al visitors in the Provencher and Friends section and named
for the major donor of the educational materials.
Kristin Sue Conrad was born in Lockport, NY, the third child of Rodney W. Conrad,
Sr. and Virginia O’Grady. While an early childhood education student at SUNY Cortland
College, Kristin was introduced to the textile arts by instructor, Barbara Kuhlman;
the Kristin S. Conrad Lace Center (Conrad Lace Center) proudly display Kristin’s
large multicolored self-dyed woven first work.
Nearly a decade later, Kristin found her artistic calling in the Netherlands in
a bobbin lace course led by Greet Haak. She progressed quickly from simple bookmarks
to more challenging pieces culminating in intricate and complex works. Ever the artist,
Kristin incorporated three-dimensional designs and color into many compositions, using
gold and silver threads, parting from more traditional white, black or ecru-colored threads.
Shortly after moving to Raleigh, NC, Kristin co-founded the local lace Sir Walter Lacers guild.
The Lace Center will now be the new weekly
meeting place for its members. As a lifelong student and educator, Kristin was thrilled to
introduce others to the principles of lacemaking and was genuinely proud of the achievements
of her students. Kristin had planned on teaching the beginnings of lace to young children
convinced they could easily grasp the basic concepts but her time with us was cut
tragically short. To fulfill Kristin’s dream, the Lace Center will offer an
after-school program for youth starting in the Fall of 2025.
Kristin shared her knowledge through love and kindness, never assuming or demanding,
always understanding and patient. Through her work and the efforts of the Kristin S.
Conrad Lace Center Foundation, you will discover that you too are a vital thread
she tenderly and artfully has woven into the fabric of her life and legacy.
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