Flowers in The Factory
2014-2015
Deborah Baronas
“A large and bountiful variety of
plants is placed around the wall of
the room giving them more the
appearance of a flower garden than
a workshop.” Sarah G. Bagley, The
Lowell Offering, 1840
Life was hard in the mill towns. The hours were
long and the work was exhausting. Factories were
forests of clattering machines and whirring belts
that could deafen or maim workers. A mill town
might seem a grim place, but there was life among
the machines.
The people brought life to the mills. Some workers
kept potted plants in factories and the windows
were often crowded with flowers. The people also
brought life to the towns. They came from across
the countryside and around the world. They were
proud of their work and enjoyed their leisure. This
exhibit celebrates the vibrant life that grew up
among the machines and factories.
Excerpt, David Unger, Director of Interpretation,
The American Textile History Museum, Lowell, MA
Newport Art Museum
Newport, RI
January - May 2015
Flowers in the Factory, oil on canvas, fabric dye on cotton gauze, 36” x 52” x 5”
Company Town, Housing, fabric dye on linen, 72” x 108”
Mill Workers, fabric dye on cotton gauze, panels 84” x 36,” installation site specific, 2014
Study for Flowers in The Factory, pastel on paper, fabric dye on cotton gauze, 42” x 36” x 5”
Installation, Sunday in The Park, charcoal on paper, 48” x 96,” with Company Town, fabric dye on linen, 72” x 108”
Mill Workers, fabric dye on cotton gauze, panels 84” x 36”, Installation site specific, 2014
Installation detail, Mill Workers, fabric dye on cotton gauze
The American Textile
History Museum
Lowell, MA
February - June 2014
Oscar, Emma and The Girls, pastel on paper, fabric dye on cotton gauze, 48” x 180” x 5”
Detail, Oscar, Emma and The Girls, charcoal on paper
Installation, Sunday in The Park, charcoal on paper, 48” x 96”
Morning Break, fabric dye on silk and cotton, 84” x 52” x 4”
Company Town, fabric dye on linen, 72” x 108”
Detail, Diorama, Inside the Mill
Flowers in The Factory
has been funded in part by
The Rhode Island State Council on the Arts
The Rhode Island Council for the Humanites
The American Textile History Museum
Warren Preservation Society
Thank you