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Annie Arnold: Tourist, Tour-est at the Galveston Arts Center, March 2 – May 26, 2024

Annie Arnold’s exhibition, Tourist, Tour-est, at the Galveston Arts Center offers a witty exploration of our current travel culture. Through embroidered works on canvas and a captivating slideshow, Arnold humorously considers the influence of social media and the attention economy on how we approach and document our journeys.

In this new body of work, Arnold cleverly cross-stitches found text from aspirational globetrotting experiences, presenting them as homemade diplomas and certificates on raw, unstretched canvas, with trim reminiscent of varsity letter jackets. Arnold playfully explores ideas of credentials and accolades, highlighting the competitive nature of our conversations about travel.

The exhibition also features a series of new merit badges, which Arnold designed, that function as embroidered patches based on people’s social media posts. These badges reflect the desire for recognition and validation in our online lives, with a brilliance that can only be achieved through thread.

Accompanying the embroidered works is a curated slideshow of Instagram pictures posted by travelers visiting pyramids in Egypt, echoing the nearby Moody Gardens in Galveston. Drawing parallels between traditional vacation slideshows and the voyeuristic nature of social media, Arnold’s slideshow reflects on novelty, self-expression, and the evolution of amateur photography.

William Sarradet is the Assistant Editor for Glasstire.