Cornwall to stitch its own story as The Red Dress arrives in Truro

Fourteen years, five continents and hundreds of pairs of hands. In January, Cornwall gets its turn.

The Red Dress, a record-breaking embroidery project, arrives at Cornwall Museum and Art Gallery in Truro in January 2027. And people across Cornwall are being invited to add a chapter of their own to its story.

📷Detail from The Red Dress

A dress that travelled the world

The dress was conceived by artist Kirstie Macleod. For fourteen years it travelled internationally, embroidered continuously by hundreds of contributors across five continents.

Now complete, it is touring venues across the UK and beyond, carrying the artistry and the personal stories stitched into its fabric. The museum will host it throughout January, with events and interactive opportunities planned during the exhibition.

📷Community Artist, Bec Applebee

Rudh: a cape made by Cornish hands

The museum’s creative response will be led by Community Artist Bec Applebee, who has been commissioned to run a collaborative project that reflects the spirit of The Red Dress and frames it in a Cornish context.

It is called Rudh, the Cornish word for red. Many hands will embellish a series of patches, which will be joined into a cape and unveiled at the end of the exhibition.

“Our starting point will be looking closely at the dress itself, but we’ll also take inspiration from elsewhere in the museum, including the incredible Mineral Gallery,” Bec explained.

“By exploring ideas around Cornwall’s history, landscape, nature, culture and identity, I’m hoping to draw out two things alongside participants: what is at the heart of Cornwall for them, and what do they hope for in the future.”

📷The Red Dress worn by Kiki Jerome

How to take part

Community groups will be invited to the workshops that create the cape, and some sessions are open to members of the public too.

All public workshops are free, with a suggested donation for anyone keen to support the museum’s ongoing work.

Emma Gibson, Programme and Engagement Manager at the museum, said: “We’re excited to be working with Bec, an experienced community artist, to deliver this participation project and we can’t wait to see the results.”

“It’s the perfect continuation of the themes of The Red Dress Project as a whole (community, creativity, and storytelling) and we know that Cornwall has so much to offer on all those fronts.”

Tickets

Tickets for The Red Dress exhibition are £10 for adults, which includes general museum admission and an Annual Pass. Under 18s go free.

They have been selling quickly and early booking is advised. An evening Launch Event with Kirstie has also been added to the programme because of demand.

📷The Red Dress worn by Lekazia Turner, embroiderer originally from Jamaica