PHILADELPHIA, PA — Philadelphia art is moving off gallery walls and onto fabric this October as an Old City textile studio brings together ceramics, needlepoint, furniture and upholstery for a celebration of the city’s contemporary makers — and its long history of making things by hand.
Jen Tiberi, founder of woman-owned Tiberi Studios, is launching the studio’s first Artists Series with an exhibition at Paradigm Gallery from Oct. 2 through 11. Presented alongside the 2026 Design Philly Festival, the show pairs Tiberi with Philadelphia artists Mackenzie Vaughan Pikaart and Danielle DesBordes and furniture designer Anneliese Rivera of Studio Anneliese.
At the center of the collaboration are original textiles inspired by Pikaart’s and DesBordes’ artwork. Their designs have been translated into fabrics that will appear throughout the gallery as upholstery, pillows, cushions and hanging yardage alongside the artists’ original work.
“Through the creation of an exclusive line of textiles inspired by the two artists’ works, we hope to enrich people’s homes and spaces while highlighting Philly’s vibrant creative community,” Tiberi said.
Clay and Needlework Become Fabric
Pikaart specializes in nerikomi, a ceramic technique using layers of colored clay that are cut, folded, and combined to create intricate patterns resembling marble and agate.
DesBordes brings a different visual language to the collaboration. The multidisciplinary artist has a background in product design, particularly tabletop and home décor, and creates collaged illustrations using elaborate needlepoint techniques.
Those distinctive styles will take three-dimensional form in the exhibition through custom benches created by Rivera, a woodworker and furniture designer whose work combines function with ornament.
Rivera has designed a separate bench for each artist, upholstered in Tiberi Studios textiles inspired by their work. Pikaart’s bench will incorporate ceramic elements, while DesBordes’ will feature embroidery.
The gallery will also contain ottomans, pillows and cushions made with the new fabrics, along with textile yardage displayed as a backdrop for the artwork. Pikaart’s ceramics and DesBordes’ needlepoint pieces will be presented among the furniture and soft goods.
The fabrics will be available for purchase by the yard and made to order through Tiberi Studios’ textile workroom. Rivera’s furniture created for the exhibition will also be available for purchase.
Event Details
- What: Tiberi Studios’ first Artists Series exhibition, featuring work by Jen Tiberi, Mackenzie Vaughan Pikaart, Danielle DesBordes, and Anneliese Rivera of Studio Anneliese
- When: Oct. 2-11, 2026. Opening First Friday hours are Oct. 2 from 4 to 8 p.m.; regular exhibition hours are Thursdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Where: Paradigm Gallery, 12 N. 3rd Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Cost/Tickets: Open to the public
- More Info: https://www.jentiberi.com
Connecting Today’s Makers With Philadelphia’s Past
For Tiberi, the Artists Series is also an opportunity to connect the work of contemporary women artists and small-business owners with a much older Philadelphia story.
“The goal of this Artists Series is to highlight our city’s woman-owned small businesses and artists, and to bring attention to the rich textile and furniture manufacturing history that originated here in Philadelphia,” Tiberi said.
Philadelphia developed into a major manufacturing center after its founding in 1682, eventually earning the nickname “Workshop of the World.” By the late 19th century, hundreds of factories employed tens of thousands of workers, with Northern Liberties, Fishtown, Kensington and Port Richmond among the neighborhoods at the center of the city’s textile industry.
“Our hope is that the exhibit will showcase makers and designers that not only keep this tradition alive, but also bring their unique voice and skills to the industry,” Tiberi said.
That connection between old techniques and new ideas runs throughout the Old City exhibition: marbled clay becomes upholstery, needlepoint becomes fabric, and Philadelphia’s manufacturing heritage finds a new expression in objects designed for today’s homes.
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