By Violet Lorish, Florida State University
Violet Lorish at the V&A Kensington. July 19, 2026
Hello from across the pond! I have been thoroughly enjoying all of the new experiences and exciting interviews I have scheduled while in London and Liverpool. My studies have been very rewarding and I am so excited to share what I have learned when I arrive back at FSU in August for the fall semester.
Visiting Liverpool was one of the many highlights of my work. I was happy to visit the Liverpool Cathedral, the biggest cathedral in the United Kingdom. The cathedral houses the Elizabeth Hoare Gallery, an embroidery gallery which highlights the care and display of Victorian and Edwardian ecclesiastical embroidery. While visiting I enjoyed meeting with the lovely embroidery specialists who work at the Cathedral and care for the textiles, their knowledge was invaluable and they were splendid to talk to. When I visited, I was happily surprised with some new textiles which they have recently found and are yet to catalog. Viewing these publicly inaccessible pieces was incredible, and the photos I was able to take were extremely helpful to my work. I can’t wait to share these studies alongside the rest of my work, when I return to the States.
My research and applied studies in embroidery will be incredibly helpful to my work as a public demonstrator and advocate for the arts. The knowledge I earned, supplemented by the applied skills I developed will be very helpful in sharing my research with public audiences. This experience has also been valuable to me personally, as it has given me the chance to see snippets of what a career in historical research or museum studies would entail. I did so by making sure at the end of each interview to ask each specialist on their experience in the field and what a standard work week for them involves.
Coming back to Florida State University in August for my third year of my undergraduate studies, I would like to use this summer experience as a stepping stone into further research involvement. I have really enjoyed my time in prior undergraduate research experiences such as UROP and now with the FSU IDEA Grant Program. I believe that the skills I have developed through such programs will be invaluable to me in any career field I choose to enter, as I have found the most important part of research to be articulation and proper communication alongside project and personal management skills. I am excited to present at the 2026 Presidents Showcase of Undergraduate Research Excellence, sharing my work with my peers and professors. Beyond my undergraduate studies, if given the opportunity, I would love to pursue textile research further and compile a collection of embroidery history and technique.. Rather than an academic publishing for other academics to review and discourse, I would like my work to be aimed at those who may not know anything about the topic, nor have the time to read many different sources on it. This project would create one easily accessible and understandable guide.
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