NAN has a Permanent Collection of contemporary (in the sense of this current time) needlework which is housed at the Gregg Museum of Art & Design at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, North Carolina. This is an ongoing and growing collection which began when NAN was part of the Valentine Museum in Richmond, VA. A few works from the collection are selected for display each year at The Exemplary. Click on any of the images below for a larger view and to step through a slide show. Scroll to the bottom of the page for more information about the Collection.

The permanent collection includes pieces from several sources:

• Original works created by candidates who are finishing their Level II Teachers’ Certification. The NAN Board may, upon the recommendation of the Director and Assistant Director of Teachers’ Certification, decide to accession a candidate’s work. This is the highest honor bestowed on a NAN Teachers’ Certification candidate.
• Original works created by those completing their Honors research. This is a five-year program of research at an advanced level, culminating with a written thesis, oral presentation, and a stitched piece that becomes part of the permanent collection.
• Original works generously donated by previous members of NAN’s Board of Directors.
• Special additions based on a decision of the Board of Directors. These are notable works of art, representing the best in needle art. These include a lace collection given by the late Mary McMenamin, and most recently, Detour, an original work by the late Genny Morrow.

A small, changing part of the permanent collection is on display at the Gregg Museum most of the time. The collection can be viewed in its entirety online:

1. Go to the Gregg Museum of Art & Design’s website https://gregg.arts.ncsu.edu/ and click on Collections. Select Search our online catalog.
2. On the page that comes up, enter “NAN Collection” in the Collections Search box, then click on Search. A tabular display of works in the collection will appear along with information about each piece. Click on the small images to see a larger picture of each piece.