Description:
Tablecloth with Signatures
Evon Zerbetz and Guests
One Ketchikan tradition is to have guests sign the host's tablecloth. Signatures are then embroidered to become a lasting memory of a meal shared with friends and family.
Artist Evon Zerbetz's tablecloth features the signatures of her dinner guests over the years.
"It's a record of who's been at my table. Some people come regularly, some people are passing through, and some only come once. When people sit at my table it's a conversation starter to think about people that are here and those who have moved away. People sign their name with a pen so the tablecloth can't be washed until I have embroidered all the new names. Often when people sit at the table there is a needle stuck in it with a half embroidered name. When the tablecloth gets a little too dirty, I'll go on a rush of embroidering half a dozen names or so. The tablecloth comes out during dinner parties and Waffle Palooza has been a favorite."
Artist Evon Zerbetz's tablecloth features the signatures of her dinner guests over the years.
"It's a record of who's been at my table. Some people come regularly, some people are passing through, and some only come once. When people sit at my table it's a conversation starter to think about people that are here and those who have moved away. People sign their name with a pen so the tablecloth can't be washed until I have embroidered all the new names. Often when people sit at the table there is a needle stuck in it with a half embroidered name. When the tablecloth gets a little too dirty, I'll go on a rush of embroidering half a dozen names or so. The tablecloth comes out during dinner parties and Waffle Palooza has been a favorite."
- Evon Zerbetz, 2022
Loan to Ketchikan Museums, L2022.4.29.1
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Tablecloth on display
Embroidery kit
Signature detail
Signature detail
Halli Kenoyer signature detail
Kathleen Light signature detail
Elizabeth & Raffy signature detail
Felix Wong signature detail
Tablecloth on display
Embroidery kit
Signature detail
Signature detail
Halli Kenoyer signature detail
Kathleen Light signature detail
Elizabeth & Raffy signature detail
Felix Wong signature detail