Bedtime looks different in every corner of the world, and a joyful new exhibition at Mingei International Museum invites San Diego to see how. My Bed: Enchanting Ways to Fall Asleep Around the World opens on October 31, 2026, and runs through April 18, 2027, in Balboa Park, presenting the original artwork from the beloved children’s book illustrated by artist Salley Mavor.
Curated by Emily Hanna, the exhibition brings together eighteen hand-embroidered, three-dimensional tableaus. Each intricately rendered scene captures the spirit of a different place and way of life, while celebrating the universal moment of children falling asleep. Visitors will travel from a houseboat in the Netherlands to hammocks in Brazil, a rooftop in Morocco, futons in Japan and an intricate carpet in Afghanistan, all stitched in remarkable detail.
Mavor, who lives and works in Falmouth, Massachusetts, on Cape Cod, discovered stitching and soft sculpture while studying illustration at the Rhode Island School of Design in the 1970s. Her scenes work like miniature, shallow stage sets in bas-relief, with figures set against embellished fabric backgrounds. As she puts it, her aim is to breathe life and emotion into embroidery.
The exhibition also coincides with Once Upon a Stitch with Salley Mavor, a Coffee and Conversations event on November 14, 2026 — a lovely extra chance to hear directly from the artist at Happy City News’ favorite kind of cultural gathering: warm, handmade and full of wonder.
Photo: Mingei International Museum
