National Trust Covers Artwork Featuring J.K. Rowling After Tampering Incident
A textile artwork at Hardwick Hall, Derbyshire, has been removed from display following an incident of public tampering. From April to November 2024, visitors contributed names of women they admired to a piece titled “Virtuous Woman.”
During this period, J.K. Rowling’s name, included amongst others, was stitched over. Last week, feminist campaigner Jean Hatchet removed this covering, as documented on X.
The National Trust responded, stating that the artwork was open for contributions for eight months and closed in November upon completion. They emphasized their policy against tampering with displayed art and confirmed the piece’s removal pending investigation and consideration of next steps.
Rowling has declined to comment. Her public statements on gender identity have elicited significant debate.
The collaborative artwork, a project by artist Layla Khoo in association with the University of Leeds and the National Trust, included names such as Rosa Parks, Taylor Swift, and “mum,” alongside Rowling’s.
The artwork, officially unveiled in November, was inspired by a missing 16th-century Bess of Hardwick embroidery and was intended to remain on display throughout 2025.
Hatchet’s X posts described the removed stitching as “hateful” and called for an apology from the Trust. The Trust’s own X statement clarified that participant views don’t reflect their own, the artist’s, or the University of Leeds’.
The original inspiration was one of five 16th-century embroideries commissioned by Bess of Hardwick, depicting virtues she valued. Four remain; a fifth, featuring Cleopatra, is lost. Khoo’s contemporary piece mirrored the scale and size of the missing original, inviting public contributions.
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