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CURRENT EXHIBITIONS

BLUE
April 4 - September 18, 2008

The human perception of color is a complex sensory phenomenon filtered through the eyes, brain, language and multiple layers of social experience. While shades of red (examined in the 2007 Textile Museum exhibition RED) quicken the pulse and increase blood pressure, blue induces a calming effect and is widely perceived as a “cool,” tranquil color.

BLUE explores the creation and meaning of the color blue on textiles produced across time and place, with particular emphasis on contemporary artists’ use of natural indigo dyes. Until the invention of chemical dyes in the late 19th century, peoples worldwide relied largely on indigo-bearing plants to achieve blue-colored garments, household furnishings, artworks and even body paint. Many cultures attributed talismanic properties as well as health benefits to indigo, and the mysterious transformation of this temperamental dye has long been steeped in myth and magic.

The exhibition features blue textiles ranging from Greco-Roman and pre-Columbian tunic fragments to installations by internationally renowned artists. Hiroyuki Shindo, a Japanese artist who grows and processes his own indigo to produce innovatively patterned textiles, as well as Maria Eugenia Davila and Eduardo Portillo, who raise silkworms and dye threads with natural dyes in Venezuela, highlight the ways that artists around the world are embracing this ancient dye to create works that speak to their own experience.

BLUE is curated by Lee Talbot, Assistant Curator, Eastern Hemisphere Collections, and Mattiebelle Gittinger, Research Associate, Southeast Asian Textiles.

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The Finishing Touch: Accessories from the Bolivian Highlands
February 15 - September 18, 2008

The Textile Museum invites visitors to explore the liveliness and diversity of woven and knitted textiles from Bolivia in The Finishing Touch: Accessories from the Bolivian Highlands, on view February 15 through September 18, 2008. The Museum's first new exhibition of 2008, The Finishing Touch features a charming group of belts, bags and other accessories made and used by the indigenous people of the Bolivian highlands.

A large group of traditional Bolivian textiles acquired by the Museum in late 2007 inspired the exhibition and comprises the bulk of the more than 100 objects on view. Complementing these objects are other Andean textiles drawn from The Textile Museum's collection. The belts, bags and other accessories in the exhibition, although small, are often invested with great care and even more fully decorated than larger shawls and ponchos.

The broad range of techniques, patterns and items in the exhibition reflects the many regional variations that characterize the cultural wealth of the Bolivian highlands. The Finishing Touch: Accessories from the Bolivian Highlands is curated by Ann P. Rowe, Curator of Western Hemisphere Collections.

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Timbuktu to Tibet: Rugs and Textiles of the Hajji Babas
October 18, 2008 - Winter/Spring 2009

This exhibition celebrates the 75th anniversary of the oldest rug-collecting group in the United States: the New York-based Hajji Baba Club.

Through the display of a wide array of more than 70 textiles and rugs originally made in North Africa, the Middle East and Asia and now held in private collections, Timbuktu to Tibet tells the story of the people who made the textiles, the ways they lived and worked, and the functions of their weavings. The exhibition explores the central role that textiles have played in many disparate cultures across several continents. Complementing the textiles are photographs illustrating the lifestyles and cultures of the people who made and used the carpets and textiles on view.

The Hajji Baba Club has greatly impacted the understanding and appreciation of rugs and textiles as works of art. George Hewitt Myers, founder of The Textile Museum, was an involved member of the Club, and it continues to boast an active membership today. The exploration of the Club's history, coupled with the focus on the cultural context and functionality of the textiles, provides a delightful journey for those unfamiliar with textiles as well as specialists in the field.

Currently on view at the New York Historical Society, the exhibition is curated by preeminent scholar Jon Thompson. Timbuktu to Tibet is accompanied by a copiously illustrated book entitled Timbuktu to Tibet: Exotic Rugs and Textiles from New York Collectors, authored by the exhibition curator, and a wide range of public programs.