Your Monthly Calendar of World Textile Events
This Month's Featured Event
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Global Textile Events
Your Monthly Calendar of World Textile Events
Pacific Asia Museum
Ceremonies and Celebrations – Textile Treasures from the USC Pacific Asia Museum Collection
September 14, 2018 –January 6, 2019
Pasadena, California Learn More
Ceremonies and Celebrations explores ideas that connect the vast regions of China, Korea, Japan, India, the Himalayas and Southeast Asia together. The exhibition, drawn from the museum’s collection of over 2700 costumes and textiles, is divided into four thematic sections: the first focuses on the connection between gender and textile production and how textiles identify gender roles in society; the second explores the role of textiles as a signifier of one’s status; the third theme illustrates the unique relationship between textiles and religions across Asia; and the final section looks at textiles worn or used in marking ceremonies and life transitions from birth to death.
A highlight of the exhibition will be the imperial dragon robes worn by China’s emperors and imperial family during the Qing dynasty (1644-1911). The yellow robes were the rarest of all, the color yellow symbolizing the sun, and were worn exclusively by the Emperor.
Also included in the exhibition are magnificent whal-ot (wedding robes) from Korea, and Japanese kimono and kesa (Buddhist priest robes), some dating to the Edo period (1603-1868). Also on display are Indonesian ikat textiles from Southeast Asia, piña cloth (pineapple-fiber) from the Philippines, colorful tunics and elegant silk robes from India, and richly decorated cloth from the kingdom of Bhutan in the Himalayas. Top Image: Coat; India or Pakistan, early to mid-20thCentury. Cotton; silk; glass; tin. USC Pacific Asia Museum Collection. Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Kenneth Bleifer.
Textile Arts Council Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
Annual Textile Bazaar
November 11, 2018
San Francisco, California Learn More
The Textile Bazaar features unique pieces from vendors who, through their travels, cultural knowledge and collecting history, offer extraordinary textiles for one day only. Shop the treasures of Bali, the Philippines, India, Japan, China, Guatemala, Mexico and more.
The Royal Museum of Art & Histo
Inca Dress Code: Textiles and Adornment of the Andes
November 23, 2018-March 24, 2019
Brussels, Belgium Learn More
Textiles were particularly valued among the Andean cultures of Peru, Bolivia. and Chile, as they were considered an extremely precious commodity: they were not only items for wearing, but also symbols of power and identity and could be used as offerings or as a currency of exchange.
This exhibition offers the opportunity to admire the magnificence of the textiles, the quality of the precious metalwork and the beauty of pre-Colombian feather work from the Royal Museum of Art and History’s collection. Image: The Royal Museum of Art & History© Coll. Janssen-Arts, Vlaamse Gemeenschap (MAS), photo H.
Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History
Folk & Tribal Arts Marketplace
November 30-December 2, 2018
Santa Barbara, California Learn More
This three-day market, representing more than 50 countries, is the largest folk art show in Southern California. Shop for baskets, décor, ethnographic art, furniture, jewelry, pottery, rugs, and more.
Saint Louis Art Museum
Balance and Opposition in Ancient Peruvian Textiles
June 15—November 25, 2018
Saint Louis, Missouri Learn More
In ancient Peru, the concept of duality in all aspects of life was fundamentally important to art and culture. Valued more highly than gold, textiles embodied this duality, as they only come into existence when the warp is woven with the weft. Though numerous societies rose and fell in ancient Peru, textiles maintained the upmost importance. Spanning nearly 2,000 years and drawn from across Peru’s diverse cultures and terrains, these works demonstrate larger ideas about the relationship between life and death, gendered dress, and the textile medium itself. Image: Tunic, c.1000–1400; Ica, Peru; camelid fiber; 23 1/4 x 49 3/16 inches; Saint Louis Art Museum, Museum Purchase 284:1949.
Amuse Museum
Boro Real Astonishment
March 30, 2018-March 31, 2019
Tokyo, Japan Learn More
This exhibit features the collection of Chuzaburo Tanaka who, virtually alone in all of Tohoku, Japan, walked the farming and fishing villages of Aomori from the mid-1960s, searching out these traces of the local love of fabric known as boro. With this exhibition, boros are hung among the thirty-four photo images newly published by Kyoichi Tsuzuki (the photographer and author of “BORO Rags and Tatters) bringing one big installation to the museum.
South Dakota Art Museum
Rooted, Revived, Reinvented: Basketry in America
October 19, 2018 – January 12, 2019
Brookings, South Dakota Learn More
This exhibition, featuring ninety-three objects, provides an historical overview of American basketry from its origins in Native American, immigrant, and slave communities to its presence within the contemporary fine art world. Image:Debora Muhl, Untitled #983, 1998. Sea grass, sinew, gourd, beads, 9.75″ x 16″ x 12″
Minneapolis Institute of Art
Emblems of a Prosperous Life: Women’s Robes of Late Imperial China (1700s – 1800s)
July 14, 2018–June 30, 2019
Minneapolis, Minnesota Learn More
In the 1700s and 1800s, aristocratic Chinese women wore sumptuous clothing in and out of court. At court, women’s attire was highly standardized; outside court, they had greater flexibility to choose styles and designs that matched their personal taste. Many of these garments exemplify a fashion trend of the 1800s: cuffs and hems embellished with embroidered bands, which in turn were often edged with strips of brocaded ribbon. Image: Woman’s unofficial robe, late 19th century , China, Qing dynasty (1644–1911). Silk, metallic threads. Bequest of Margaret McMillan Weber in memory of her mother, Katherine Kittridge McMillan RBL51.423
Textile Tour Highlight
Nepal and Bhutan | Passport to Folk Art Trip
Nepal: March 1 – 7, 2019 Bhutan: March 7 – 13, 2019
Come visit some of the Santa Fe folk art market artisans in their country–the Red Sari Felt Production Center where women create products by felting and fusing upcycled silk saris and wool fibers; the Janakpur Women’s Development Center who paint traditional and new designs on handmade paper; the Leki Wangmo and Rinzin Wangmo of Leki Textiles & Weaving Studio where you have the option of taking a weaving class dye workshop.
Stay in the charming Inn in Patan, and wander around this historic city, one of the three original kingdoms of Nepal, where in the evenings, you will have the opportunity to observe a young boy undergoing initiation to become a Buddhist, ceremoniously circumambulate the Golden Temple. Take an excursion (climbing optional) to the famous Taktsang Monastery, where it is said that Guru Rinpoche arrived on the back of a tigress and meditated at this monastery, hence called “Tiger’s Nest.” These are just some on the tourhighlights!
For a detailed itinerary, more information, and to register for your trip email jean.zunkel@bjadventures.com or ahdina@bjadventures.com
Cincinnati Art Museum
The Fabric of India
October 19, 2018–January 6, 2019
Cincinnati, Ohio Learn More
http://www.cincinnatiartmuseum.org/art/exhibitions/upcoming-exhibitions/the-fabric-of-india/
India’s handmade textiles are embedded in every aspect of its identity, the history of these fabrics dating back at least 6000 years. Textiles are so central to India’s identity that in ancient Greece and Babylon the very name ‘India’ was shorthand for ‘cotton’.
The Fabric of India, organized by the prestigious Victoria and Albert Museum in London, is the first exhibition to fully explore the dynamic and multifaceted world of handmade textiles. Showcasing the finest examples from the V&A’s world-renowned collection together with masterpieces from international partners, leading designers, and additions from the Cincinnati Art Museum’s permanent collection, visitors will have the opportunity to explore a stunning range of India’s historic dress, heirloom fabrics, and cutting-edge fashion.
The exhibition is presented in six thematic sections, exploring courtly splendor exemplified by sumptuous fabrics and dress alongside finely-crafted sacred cloths. India’s celebrated textiles survived the threat of industrialization and were used to unite India as a symbol of power and protest in the quest for independence in the early twentieth century. Today, Indian designers are adapting traditional techniques to create exciting new fashion, art and design for a global audience, giving India’s textile history a new relevance in the modern world.
Image: Wall Hanging (detail), cotton, with silk and cotton appliqué, Saurashtra, Gujarat, 1920–40, Given by Mr. and Mrs. Jerome Burns, © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Tate Modern
Anni Albers
October 11, 2018-January 27, 2019
London, England Learn More
Anni Albers combined the ancient craft of hand-weaving with the language of modern art.
As a female student at the radical Bauhaus art school, she enrolled in the weaving workshop and made textiles her key form of expression. This beautiful exhibition of 350 objects from exquisite small-scale ‘pictorial weavings’ to large wall-hangings plus her later prints and drawings illuminates the artist’s creative process and her engagement with art, architecture and design. Image: Anni Albers Wall Hanging 1926 Lent by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Purchase, Everfast Fabrics Inc. and Edward C. Moore Jr. Gift, 1969 69.134 © Estate of Anni Albers; ARS, NY & DACS, London 2018
Newark Museum
Kimono Refashioned, 1870s-Now!
October 13, 2018 – January 6, 2019
Newark, New Jersey Learn More
Follow the fascinating storyline of Japanese inspiration, influence and active engagement with global fashion from the 1870s to present day. This exhibition showcases more than 40 extraordinary garments created by more than 30 Japanese, European and American designers from the world-renowned collections of the Kyoto Costume Institute and the Newark Museum. Image: Yohji Yamamoto, Spring/Summer 1995
UC Davis Design Museum
Tekunikku: The Art of Japanese Textile Making
September 24– December 9, 2018
Davis, California Learn More
An exotic exploration of textile design and creation, this exhibition focuses on the extensive Japanese textile collection of Catherine Cerny spanning over 40 years of her travels, cultural exploration and technical study. Image: Detail from a Japanese textile.
The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum
Helena Hernmarck: Weaving In Progress
October 14, 2018– January 19, 2019
Ridgefield, Connecticut Learn More
Helena Hernmarck is one of the most important contemporary figures in the history of woven tapestries. Beginning her career in the 1960s during an explosion of interest in fiber arts, her mature style evolved into the creation of often monumental tapestries. Weaving In Progressis the first solo exhibition of Hernmarck’s work in the U.S. since 2014; twenty tapestries will be displayed. Three days a week, Hernmarck and her apprentice Mae Colburn will be weaving in situ on a large-scale tapestry. Image: Helena Hernmarck’s studio in Ridgefield, CT
The Art Institute of Chicago®
Super/Natural: Textiles of the Andes
November 30, 2018–April 21, 2019
Chicago, Illinois Learn More
Over the course of millennia, textiles were the primary form of aesthetic expression and communication for the diverse cultures that developed throughout the desert coasts and mountain highlands of the Andean region. This exhibition features over 60 textiles from the museum’s collection that explore the ways select Andean cultures developed distinct textile technologies and approaches to design. Image: Mantle (detail), 100 BC/AD 200. Paracas. Emily Crane Chadbourne Fund. Photo credit: The Art Institute of Chicago®.
Textile Tour Highlight
THE OASES KINGDOMS AND BEYOND
Textiles, Architecture, and Traditions of Uzbekistan
May 5-19, 2019
This tour commences in Tashkent with visits to the Museum of Applied Arts, Khast Imam Mosque complex, Chorsu Bazaar and the workshops of artisans and designers. Continue to the Fergana Valley to witness all aspects of ikat weaving (from the feeding of silk worms to silk spinning, binding and dyeing), felt making and the extraordinary Rishtan ceramics workshop.
The tour includes visits to other ateliers of artists and designers, bazaars and the legendary cities of Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva, where local scholars will share the history and culture of the regions, and families will invite the group to join in private meals.
This Uzbekistan journey is arranged and guided by Christine Martens and Raisa Gareeva. Martens began researching the textile and traditions of Uzbekistan in 2001 and yearly trips continued in the Central Asian republics, Mongolia, and Xinjiang. Ms. Gareeva was the Central Asian foreign expert for Aid to Artisans in Uzbekistan, guiding artisans in the revival of traditions and honing of skills which had been forgotten during the Soviet era.
For a full itinerary and to reserve your place, please contact: christinelillianmartens@gmail.com
Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco: de Young Museum
Contemporary Muslim Fashions
September 22, 2018 – January 6, 2019
San Francisco, California Learn More
Contemporary Muslim Fashions is the first major museum exhibition to explore the complex and diverse nature of Muslim dress codes worldwide. This pioneering exhibition examines how Muslim women—those who cover and those who do not—have become arbiters of style within and beyond their communities and, in so doing, have drawn attention to the variations and nuances of their daily lives.
Spotlighting places, garments, and styles from around the world, the exhibition focuses on clothing that responds to individual and collective interpretations of modesty. It considers how Muslim women define themselves and are defined by their dress, providing a snapshot of the current moment in Muslim modest fashion. As Islam is a multicultural faith, the dress of its practitioners is shaped not only by religious traditions but also by local customs and global trends. Contemporary Muslim Fashions takes a look at parts of the globe where designers are creating and consumers are wearing highly fashionable garments, with a specific focus on the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and diasporic communities throughout Europe and the United States.
In addition to approximately 80 ensembles drawn from established and emerging designers in high-end fashion, streetwear, sportswear, and couture, the exhibition includes about 40 photographs that will contextualize the garments on view. Using social media as primary source material, Contemporary Muslim Fashions credits much of the recent, popular awareness of this sector to bloggers and influencers who took to social media when they could not find accurate representations of themselves in traditional media.
Ruth Funk Center for Textile Art
Wandering Spirit: African Wax Prints
September 1 – December 15, 2018
Melbourne, Florida Learn More
Wandering Spirit traces the developmental pathway of the African wax print and tells how these fabrics reflect the stories, dreams, and personalities of the people who wear them. It is a tribute to the century-old handmade designs and patterns on textiles that originated in Indonesia, were copied and industrialized by Europeans, then exported to Africa where they became ingrained in African culture and society.
Avenir Museum Gallery, Colorado State University
Cloth as Community: Hmong Textiles in America
September 10–December 21, 2018
Fort Collins, Colorado Learn More
The Hmong are people indigenous to the mountain regions of Southeast Asia, many of whom are now dispersed throughout the world by the disruption of war and refugee experience. This traveling exhibition charts the evolution of the rich Hmong textile culture, from geometric ornamental cloth forms to embroidered story cloths, and the blending of traditional motifs with representations of new lives and the creation of community in America. Image: May Her Thao, Large Aqua Cross Stitch. Cotton, 43” x 43”, 1985.
The Met Fifth Avenue
Armenia!
September 22, 2018 – January 13, 2019
New York, New York Learn More
This is the first major exhibition to explore the remarkable artistic and cultural achievements of the Armenian people in a global context over fourteen centuries. Through some 140 objects—including opulent gilded reliquaries, richly illuminated manuscripts, rare textiles, cross stones (khachkars), precious liturgical furnishings, church models, and printed books—the exhibition demonstrates how Armenians developed a unique Christian identity that linked their widespread communities over the years. Image: Cape. First half 17thcentury; silk, cotton, metal wrapped thread; cut and voided velvet, brocaded, embroidered, with engraved metal fittings.
Laboratory for Experimental Archaeology of the Römisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseu
Conference: European Textile Forum 2018
November 5-11, 2018
Mayen, Germany Learn More
The focus of this year’s forum is on “Aspects of Weaving and Braiding: tools, techniques, processes, finishes”. From the simplest plain weave to the most complex patterned fabrics with several warps and wefts, weaving itself is also a wide and complex topic. Braiding, just like weaving, can take on different forms and range from very simple plain-weave analogies to complex patterned and multi-person braids; braiding tools can be just the hands or massive braiding stands. Whether you would like to talk about different loom types and their usage, how complex patterns were derived and woven or braided in historical times, how different materials will influence a weave, how to reconstruct possible braiding techniques for a given piece, or the difficulties of replicating a given fabric – all aspects are welcome.
Image: Tablet weaving Autumn Gold, braid woven by Nigdziekolwick.
Textile Tour Highlight
Silk Study Tour to Japan
Who goes on the Silk Study Tour to Japan? Artists, makers, educators, life-long learners, writers, textilians, historians, Japanophiles, and those wanting to learn more deeply about silk and Japan. In this sixth excursion of the Silk Study Tour, the focus remains to foster a continuous thread of communication and education with Japanese silk masters, educators, and artisans that will lead each traveler into a new fiber future. It offers future exchanges of silk information and provides teaching and marketing opportunities on both sides.See traditional Japanese sericulture practices on a farm, visit indigo dyers, and try your hand at katazome.
Contact Glennis Dolce at silkstudytour@shiborigirlstudios.com
The Whitworth, University of Manchester
Four Corners of One Cloth: Textiles from the Islamic World
June 23, 2018-June 2019
Manchester, England Learn More
Cloth was, and continues to be, a unifier across the Islamic world. Four Corners of One Cloth: Textiles from the Islamic World showcases textiles from the Whitworth’s collection, selected from across cultures and countries.The title refers to the Prophet Muhammad bringing together four leaders who all wanted to raise the sacred Black Stone from the ground up to the Ka’ba in Mecca. They placed the stone in the center of a cloth so that each could take a corner and lift together.
At the heart of this exhibition is a nearly 100-year-old fragment of kiswa cloth. The kiswa covers the Ka’ba and is replaced annually during Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca); each year sections are cut and distributed across the world. While this is a textile of religious significance, other are textiles offering protection–a Dervish hat stitched with a poem to recite, a Malian hat that is said to contain passages of the Qur’an and a talismanic shirt with a magic formula of letters and numbers.
Beyond the textiles used in ceremonial ways are ones of everyday use. Socks, rugs, bedding and tablecloths are included, as are pieces by designers William Morris, Thomas Wardle and Lucienne Day, clearly inspired by Islamic culture.
Top Image: Cushion cover, n.d.hand embroidery, Morocco The Whitworth, The University of Manchester
Bristol Museum & Art Gallery
Fabric Africa: Stories Told Through Textiles
June 30, 2018-May 19, 2019
Bristol, England Learn More
Fabric Africa is a stunning snapshot of the diversity of modern and historic textiles from across the continent of Africa. The selection of textiles and clothing dates from the late 1800’s to the present day and come from Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Sudan, Mali and Swaziland amongst others. From mud cloth to adinkra, barkcloth dresses to kanga cotton prints, ‘royal’ kente cloth to huge embroidered agbadas, this exhibition gives a taste of the amazing ingenuity of the textile artists of Africa and explores the importance of cloth in social and political lives of those who wear them.
Centro Cultural Tijuana
American Quilts
August 17-November 4, 2018
Tijuana, Mexico Learn More
An exhibition of 50 American quilts from the San Diego Mingei’s permanent collection will be on view at CECUT (Centro Cultural Tijuana). Dating from roughly 1850 to the mid-twentieth century, these vibrant bed covers were hand- and machine-stitched in many parts of the United States. Featured will be a variety of geometric and colorful patterns including Schoolhouse, Shoo Fly, Rocky Road to Kansas and Log Cabin variations, in addition to embroidered and appliqued examples. Image: Hexagonal Quilt (detail), 1880s, U.S.A.
The Textile Museum George Washington University
A Nomad’s Art: Kilims of Anatolia
September 1-December 23, 2018
Washington, D.C. Learn More
Woven by women to adorn tents and camel caravans, kilims are enduring records of life in Turkey’s nomadic communities, as well as stunning examples of abstract art. This exhibition marks the public debut of treasures from the museum’s Murad Megalli collection of Anatolian kilims dating to the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Image: Kilim (detail), Turkey, central Anatolia, late 18th century. The Textile Museum 2013.2.1. The Megalli Collection.
Textile Tour Highlight
Expoartesanias Colombia, Bogata & Cartegena
December 4-11, 2018
This special travel program is designed around the singular Expoartesanias Colombia, the largest and most important gathering and showcase of Colombia’s artisans and their art. The Expoartesanias handcraft fair is entering its 28th year and features the finest in Colombia’s diverse traditional and contemporary craft from the entire country. This tour offers an insider opportunity to meet the artisans and learn about their culture including the Wayuu, Aruaco, Zenu, Waunaan, Amazona people. Taking place in Bogota, we’ll enjoy getting to know highlights of Bogota, such as the Gold Museum, Botero Museum and other City Highlights. From Bogota, the tour moves to Cartagena on the Caribbean coast, where cumbia, salsa, vallenato and other rhythms flow into the night!
An important aspect of this Colombia tour is to spend time with the lawyer who is leading the initiative of DO, Denominacion de Origen, legally protecting the cultural heritage/material culture of Colombia. Learn about the initiative; its origins, purpose, methodology, outcomes and results.
For details and reservation information, visit Tia Stephanie Tours.
Brooklyn Museum
Cecilia Vicuña: Disappeared Quipu
May 18–November 25, 2018
Brooklyn, New York Learn More
An exhibition that pairs ancient Andean quipus from the Brooklyn Museum’s collection with a newly commissioned installation by artist Cecilia Vicuña. These quipus of the past and present explore the nature of language and memory and art.
Newark Museum
Dramatic Threads: Textiles of Asia
March 14, 2018–February 2019
Newark, New Jersey Learn More
Featuring theatrical and political costumes as well as architectural and decorative textiles from diverse areas of Asia this exhibition showcases works that display a wide range of techniques. From different embroidery stitches to woven textiles ranging from virtuoso brocades and slit-tapestry to twill and plain weaves and made of gold, silk, wool, cotton, an array of textiles illustrate cultural preferences and regional differences of China, Japan, Korea, Nepal and Tibet.
Lacis Museum of Lace and Textiles
The Boteh of Kashmir and Paisley
June 29, 2018–February 2, 2019
Berkeley, California Learn More
An expansive display of Kashmir and Paisley fabric and designs representing several nations and spanning several centuries.
ULITA, Archive of International Textiles
Resists: Exploring Resist-dyed Textiles across Cultures
April 25–December 13, 2018
Leeds, England Learn More
The exhibition presents examples of the principal resist-dyeing techniques, including batik, ikat, resist block printing, stencils, tie-dye, and other stitched techniques and will feature of samples of ajrakh, English Wax, katagami, and shibori. The exhibition particularly showcases two recent collections to come to ULITA: the Coleman Indonesian Collection and the West African O’Hear Collection.
Textile Tour Highlight
Textiles of Lao
January 16-31, 2019
Join Valerie Kirk, senior lecturer and head of textiles at Australian National University, on a journey from the cultural center of Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand, across the Mekong into the beautiful country of Laos, the home for many minority people who still produce and wear colorful fabrics using generation’s old techniques. You’ll meet local artisans as well as internationally acclaimed practitioners. Plus workshops will provide hands-on experience, and of course galleries, shops and village markets provide opportunities for collectors.
Victoria and Albert Museum
Fashioned from Nature
April 21–January 27, 2019
London, England Learn More
This exhibition will present fashionable dress alongside natural history specimens, innovative new fabrics, and dyeing processes, inviting visitors to think about the materials of fashion and the sources of their clothes. Image: Rose-patterned silk train (detail). Circa 1890s. ©Victoria and Albert Museum.
Museum of International Folk Art
Beadwork Adorns the World
April 22–February 3, 2019
Santa Fe, New Mexico Learn More
The ultimate migrants, small glass beads travel the world and end up entering the cultural lives of people far away. This April, the Museum of International Folk Art opens the exhibition, Beadwork Adorns the World, exploring the transitory path of beads. Whether these extraordinary glass beads originated from the island of Murano in Venice, Italy or the mountains of Bohemia, where they start out is seldom where they end up. Artisans in their new locale make them into something specific to their own world view.
Very few cultures have ever lived in total isolation from other peoples. Contact with others beyond the immediate community allows for new markets and new uses for beadwork, as well as opportunities to survive creatively.
In most parts of the world, beads are highly valued and are used to mark peak moments in life. With their luster and sparkle used as an adornment or surface additive, they help to heighten the effect, the impact, the meaning. These special moments in the life of the community tend to revolve around life stages and passages, such as birth; becoming an adult; marriage and death; power, position, or status in the community; and communication with the spirits.
Much of the exhibition has been created from the Museum’s extensive collection, but curator Marsha Bol has arranged loans of other pieces from the Field Museum, UCLA’s Fowler Museum, the Roswell Museum and Art Center, and several private collections. Not all beads in the exhibit are made of glass. Some are constructed from metal, cloth, shell, stone, and other materials.
Backstage exhibition tours, running through mid-April, will take visitors into the workshops and restricted areas of the Museum to get a first-hand look at the exhibit development process. Additionally, publication of a companion book The Art & Tradition of Beadwork will be released concurrent with the exhibition opening.
Top: China poblana blouse, 1935. Mexico cotton, glass beads. All photos courtesy of the Museum of International Folk Art.
Victoria and Albert Museum
Fashioned from Nature
April 21–January 27, 2019
London, England Learn More
This exhibition will present fashionable dress alongside natural history specimens, innovative new fabrics and dyeing processes, inviting visitors to think about the materials of fashion and the sources of their clothes. Image: Mantua and petticoat of white brocaded silk, 1733-1734. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London.
Museum of Fine Arts
Collecting Stories: Native American Art
April 14, 2018–March 10, 2019
Boston, Massachusetts Learn More
The exhibition focuses on objects collected in the formative years of building the early holdings of Native American art at the Museum of Fine Arts. Highlights include an early Navajo blanket, a pair of important Eastern Woodlands moccasins, and a Plains headpiece, made of deer and porcupine hair.
Dallas Museum of Art
Asian Textiles: Art and Trade Along the Silk Road
December 16, 2017–December 9, 2018
Dallas, Texas Learn More
Centuries ago, Chinese silks prized in ancient Rome led to the forging of that complex and glorious trade route between the East and West known as the Silk Road. The Dallas Museum of Art’s newest year-long installation, Asian Textiles: Art and Trade Along the Silk Road, highlights the passage of luxury goods en route that led to a rich interchange of arts and crafts and culture between China and the Mediterranean world and myriad stops along the way.
Drawn from the Dallas Museum of Art’s collection, this exhibition showcases fine examples of garments and ornamental hangings from India, Central Asia, China, and Japan. The garments range from a Japanese fireman’s coat to an Indian sari and a Chinese dragon robe. The textiles show a wide range of techniques found in Asian textiles, such as ikat weaving, metal-wrapping thread, and colored ink paintings on textile backgrounds.
The Museum has spent decades forming its collection of luxury Asian garments and ornamental hangings, but this exhibition celebrates the first time that a selection from its Asian collection has been presented in a stand-alone exhibition. It’s a spectacular debut.
