The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum unites the Textile Museum's collection and the Albert H. Small Washingtoniana collection.
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Located in the heart of Washington, D.C., the George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum celebrates the creative achievements of local and global cultures from antiquity through today.
This week’s brings you an episode from the podcast Haptic and Hue. The episode explores the Western concept of textile making as "women's work" and features interviews with men who are actively involved in fiber arts.
This episode uncovers the story of the first internationally renowned Black textile designer.
We’re back with another to celebrate summer! This week, we're featuring a magnificent six-foot-long Egyptian carpet in Mamluk style. With its central octagonal design enclosing an eight-point star, this carpet exemplifies traditional Mamluk artistry.
The top and bottom panels display elegant plant forms such as Cypress trees, palm trees and papyrus clusters. The rich red, green and blue colors, along with the distinctive cartouche and lobed medallion border, are hallmark features of classic Mamluk-style carpets.
Carpet, Egypt, Mamluk style, late 15th or early 16th century. Wool; knotted pile, asymmetrical knot; 188 x 134 cm. The Textile Museum Collection R16.1.3. Acquired by George Hewitt Myers in 1951.
Can you believe this lifelike portrait was created with just a few details and only two colors of yarn?
This fragment depicting the Greek god Dionysus was probably once part of a large curtain or hanging.
Fragment of a curtain or hanging, Egypt, late Roman period, 4th century. Linen, wool; tapestry weave; 34 x 27 cm. The Textile Museum Collection 71.108. Acquired by George Hewitt Myers in 1947.
Today’s explores “Galih Podo,” a unique batik cloth by Indonesian artist Sapuan. Now on view at the Denver Art Museum, “Galih Podo” considers: Can life’s biggest questions be answered through fabric?
https://www.denverartmuseum.org/en/blog/philosophy-fabric-galih-podo-by-batik-artist-sapuan
“Galih Podo” is part of the exhibition “Weaving a Foundation: Cornerstones of the Textile Arts Collection” https://www.denverartmuseum.org/en/exhibitions/weaving-foundation
Detail of Abochhini (woman's shawl), Thar Parkar, Indus River Delta region, Pakistan, before 1927. Cotton and silk with double chain stitch embroidery and mirrorwork (sh**ha); 78 x 51 in. Neusteter Textile Collection at the Denver Art Museum: Gift of Charles Winfred Douglas, 1953.29.
Today's features a stunning "kjolsäck" bag from a lakeside village in central Sweden! Crafted from leather and embroidered wool, this beautiful pocket-style waist bag was an essential part of traditional folk dress, worn by women across Scandinavia.
Bag (kjolsäck); Sweden, Dalarna Province, Leksand; 1800-1850. Leather, wool, linen; plain weave, appliquéd, embroidered; 27 x 26 cm. Cotsen Textile Traces Study Collection T-3155. Photo by Bruce M. White Photography.
Intricately embroidered, this skirt border from Crete depicts flowers, birds and figures from Greek mythology. The eye-catching green and primary colors are distinctly Cretan; many other Greek Islands use a monochrome palette.
Let us know if you love these colors!
Skirt border; Crete, 17th century. Linen, cotton; plain weave, stem stitch, embroidery; 40 x 71 cm. The Textile Museum Collection 81.53A. Acquired by George Hewitt Myers prior to 1929.
For this week’s , join curator Andrew Bolton for a tour of the exhibition “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion” at the The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Join Andrew Bolton, Curator in Charge of The Costume Institute, on a tour of the exhibition “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion.”The Costume Institute’s ...
Can you spot the parrots in this intricate pattern?
Today's showcases the unique, stylized parrots embroidered by the pastoral nomadic Rabari community of Kutch, India. This beautiful coverlet also incorporates mirrors to catch the light, dazzle the viewer and protect the wearer from the evil eye.
Coverlet (rumal); Rabari culture; Kutch District, Gujarat, India; 20th century. Silk, cotton, tassel, bead, cowrie shell, button; satin weave with embroidery in chain, Cretan, herringbone and running stitches; 62 x 62 cm. The Textile Museum Collection 1989.15.3. Ruth Lincoln Fisher Memorial Fund.
Summer is all about outdoor adventures! Check out this vibrant mola scene featuring a boat hooking a sailfish.🎣🌞
Mola panel; Panama, San Blas Islands; Kuna people; 20th century. Cotton; machine woven, plain weave, appliqué, reverse appliqué; 39 x 46 cm. The Textile Museum Collection 1985.56.1. Donated from collection of Johnathan Leonard.
This week, brings you a round-up of exciting textile exhibitions happening around D.C.
"Woven Histories: Textiles and Modern Abstraction" at the National Gallery of Art https://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/2024/woven-histories-textiles-modern-abstraction.html
"Fiber Art by Women" at the Smithsonian American Art Museum https://americanart.si.edu/exhibitions/fiber-art-by-women
Can't make it in person? Check out the virtual companion to the "Fiber Art by Women" exhibition here https://www.aaa.si.edu/exhibitions/women-in-fiber
National Gallery of Art
Ready to be swept away by the intricate beauty of a suzani from Uzbekistan? Today's is all about these stunning embroidered textiles!
The term suzani derives from the Persian/Farsi word for needle (suzan), and it has come to refer to the large embroidered textiles that a young girl and her family members made for her dowry in Central Asian oasis towns.
A skilled draftswoman first drew the design onto the narrow lengths of handwoven fabric, often undyed cotton cloth (karbos). Next the bride-to-be and several female relatives embroidered the cloth with brilliantly colored silk yarns. Finally, they sewed the embroidered lengths together to create the finished textile.
Suzani; Uzbekistan, Tashkent; late 19th century. Cotton, silk; plain weave, embroidery, self-couching, chain stitch; 257 x 200 cm. The Textile Museum Collection 1979.42.1. Gift of Allan H. Gilbert.
For the last of the month, we are sharing a “tapis,” or woman’s skirt, from the Philippines!
This skirt was made by the Kankanaey people of the northern Philippines. The use of black, red and white stripes is a defining feature of Kankanaey clothing.
Woman’s’ skirt (tapis); Philippines, northern Luzon, Benguet province. Cotton; supplementary weft patterning, complementary warp weave; 137 x 69 cm. The Textile Museum Collection 1967.10.1. Gift of Janie G. Mason.
For today’s , join artist Sheila Hicks and architect Frida Escobedo in an engaging discussion with Met curators about the connections between ancient and modern architecture, textile technologies, and their respective experiences in Mexico.
Celebrate International Women’s Day with fiber arts pioneer Sheila Hicks and Frida Escobedo, lead architect of The Met’s new Oscar L. Tang and H. M. Agnes Hs...
Happy ! Get inspired by the bold and graphic design of this carpet from the Caucasus. The design, coupled with the central medallion, stylistically aligns with a popular Caucasian carpet pattern from the 19th century. Characterizing the structure of most of these carpets is the use of multiple wefts, a low knot density and thick pile, usually made of lustrous wool dyed in strong primary colors.
Tag a friend who loves carpets!
Carpet, Caucasus, 19th century. Wool knotted pile; 264 x 183 cm. The Textile Museum Collection R36.5.10. Acquired by George Hewitt Myers.
For this week, we are sharing a spectacular cap from Afghanistan!
Caps first became common among nomadic tribes as protection from the harsh elements. Contemporary Afghan caps are ornamental, with the decorative components signaling tribal affiliations or individual accomplishments.
Cap, Afghanistan, 1950-1975. Cotton, silk; plain weave, quilted, embroidered; 14 (diameter) x 11 cm. The Textile Museum Collection 1992.6.9. Gift of Ann and Alan Wolfe.
For this week’s , explore the latest in sustainable textiles, from bio-based to recycled materials, and understand what truly makes a material recycled.
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This week’s comes from China. The early Qing-dynasty court favored brocade court robes with bold dragon designs.
The portrayal of the dragon is typical of the late 17th century, as is the use of a damask ground decorated with clouds motifs and dragon medallions. The yellow ground color was reserved exclusively for use by the emperor and his highest-ranking consorts.
This insignia formed one of a set of eight decorating an imperial noblewoman's robe.
Garment insignia, China, 17th century. Silk; brocade-woven; 31 x 31 cm. Cotsen Textile Traces Study Collection T-1592. Photo by Bruce M. White Photography.
We're happy to announce that highlights from our exhibition "Irresistible: The Global Patterns of Ikat" will remain on view through the end of the year!
Our post today highlights a gorgeous ikat poncho from Chile. The color contrasts between the white and indigo-dyed sections indicate that this cacique (chief) poncho was created by a master artisan. In this bound-resist technique, quality is determined by the creator’s ability to create as stark a contrast as possible between white and dark sections.
Poncho; Chile, Mapuche people; 19th century. Wool; warp-faced plain weave, warp ikat, twining; 147 x 149 cm. The David and Marita Paly Collection AM34.
Get and discover how contemporary artists use textiles to explore power, gender and history in "Unravel: The Power and Politics of Textiles in Art" Barbican Centre
The eye-opening exhibition is on view now at the Barbican in London.
Welcome back to ! This blanket would have been used by the nomadic Fulani people of Mali to protect themselves from mosquitoes in the summer and the cold during the winter months.
Blanket; West Africa, Mali; Fulani culture; 20th century. Wool weft-faced plain weave with supplementary-weft patterning; 270 x 22 cm. The Textile Museum Collection 1977.23.1. Gift of Phyllis C. Kane.
Happy ! Today we are sharing an embroidered napkin (“yaglik”) from Albania.
Yagliks were used throughout the Ottoman Empire. While examples from Anatolia are usually embroidered on plain linen or cotton ground with a combination of silk and metallic threads, yagliks from the Balkans, and Albania in particular, use silk and cotton ground fabric.
Decorative napkin (yaglik); Balkans, Albania; 19th century. Silk plain weave with metal strip embroidery; 170 x 54 cm. The Textile Museum Collection 1999.18.14. Gift of David Dew Bruner.
this week brings you a short video on the basics of weaving with artist Joyce J. Scott. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiTFbmr0Y4o
Enjoy a peek at Scott’s 50-year retrospective at the Baltimore Museum of Art featuring her expansive quilts, soft sculptures and an interactive weaving installation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQCTy-_Ynjg
Joyce J. Scott: Walk a Mile in My Dreams is the summative career retrospective of one of the most prolific and boundary-breaking artists of our time.Born in ...
this week comes in the form of a carpet from Turkmenistan. Its design is a stylized version of a well-known Persian city carpet design known as “mina khani.” This floral motif appears on many Persian city carpets, while its appearance on the Turkmen carpets is very unusual.
Carpet; Central Asia, Turkmenistan; late 17th/18th century. Wool knotted pile with asymmetrical knot, open left; 301 x 136 cm. The Textile Museum Collection 2005.2.1. Gift of Richard Isaacson.
For the last of the month, we are featuring a Kuba skirt from the Democratic Republic of the Congo!
Kuba people wear skirts, such as this one, during burials, ritual dances and masked performances. The skirts symbolize community, and clans take communal responsibility to maintain their supply.
Skirt, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 20th century. Raffia; plain weave, appliqué, embroidery; 256 x 64 cm. The Textile Museum Collection 1988.11.5. Gift of the Ruth Lincoln Fisher Memorial Fund.
Get and discover the dazzling weavings of Diné (Navajo) artist Melissa Cody. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/18/arts/design/melissa-cody-weaver-moma-ps1.html?searchResultPosition=3
Explore her first major solo exhibition at MoMA PS1: https://www.momaps1.org/programs/358-melissa-cody
Exhibition. Ends Sep 9. The first major solo museum presentation of fourth-generation Navajo weaver Melissa Cody (b. 1983, No Water Mesa, Arizona) spans the last decade of her practice, showcasing over 30 weavings that include three major new works produced for the exhibition. Using long-established...
This week’s is a “pua kumbu”, or ritual cloth, produced by the Iban people of Malaysia. Made in the 19th century, this example would have been one of several large, patterned textiles hung at ceremonies to encourage ancestors and gods to attend and bless the occasion.
Made of warp-faced, plain weave cotton, this textile depicts large vertical serpent forms. Serpents often occur in Iban origin myths and guard the door to the land of the dead.
Hanging “pua kumbu”; Malaysia, Sarawak; Iban culture; 19th century. Cotton; warp ikat, weft twining, warp-faced plain weave, 264 x 129 cm. The Textile Museum Collection 2000.22.8. The Christensen Fund.
It is , and today we are featuring this striking Mexican bag from Hidalgo state.
Handcrafts and textiles in Hidalgo, a small state in Central Mexico, are produced for local, utilitarian consumption. Bags like this one were probably made by Indigenous artisans for sale at local markets.
Bag; Hidalgo, Zimapán; 1900-1950. Double cloth, 31 x 25 cm. The Textile Museum Collection 1980.8.57. Gift of Isabel T. Kelly.
This week’s brings you Illinois-based artist Tali Weinberg, who creates textile art in response to the climate crisis: https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2024/04/tali-weinberg-climate-sculpture/
Check out her work on view at the Denver Botanic Gardens:
https://www.botanicgardens.org/exhibits/tali-weinberg-space-between-threads
Experience woven artworks that draw on data to visualize the vast changes taking place all around us.
This week’s comes from Mexico! The chalice veil was used in Catholic Masses to cover the chalice holding the Eucharist wine when not in use by the priest. The silk fabric is embroidered with floral designs in silk floss.
Tag a friend who loves embroidery!
Chalice cloth; Mexico, Mexico State; c. 18th century. Silk, ribbon; plain weave, satin weave, embroidery; 54 x 56 cm. The Textile Museum Collection 1963.12.1. Museum purchase.
Cheers on reaching another . Today we are sharing a gorgeous “g’ô” robe from Bhutan.
G’ô was introduced in the 17th century by Ngawang Namgyal, 1st Zhabdrung Rinpoche, who unified Bhutan as a nation-state. It is the national dress for Bhutanese men and is worn by all men working in government institutions and on every formal occasion.
Robe (g’ô), Bhutan. Cotton, polyester; supplementary weft; 161 x 212 cm. The Textile Museum Collection 2007.15.1. From Collections of Francis M. Hueber.
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How do you visualize the divine? Anne Lindberg's immersive installation "what color is divine light?" conveys her attempt to answer this ethereal question. You can explore these questions alongside her site-specific artwork at the museum through the end of the year: https://museum.gwu.edu/anne-lindberg-what-color-divine-light.
Our conservation team makes sure that the shoe always fits...in custom-made, acid-free storage. This video shows how two pairs of women's shoes from Manchu China are stored according to their specific designs. Interested in learning more about textile care and display? Check out the resources available on the museum website: https://museum.gwu.edu/textile-care-display
Find out how artist Anne Lindberg constructed her installation "what color is divine light?" by letting the architectural space guide her work. Have you visited the installation at the museum yet? You can explore this immersive, site-specific artwork through the end of the year: https://museum.gwu.edu/anne-lindberg-what-color-divine-light
Welcome back behind the scenes for a look at the museum's collections storage! Our industry-leading facility keeps textiles of all shapes and sizes safe for study and future display. Check out our website for tips on storing and displaying textiles in your own home: https://museum.gwu.edu/textile-care-display.
Anne Lindberg's "what color is divine light?" plays with our perception of color and invites philosophical thought. By creating a cloud of color out of thousands of pieces of tatting thread, Lindberg evokes the idea of "impossible colors" — colors that exist but cannot be viewed by the human eye. This artwork asks us to ponder what else our eyes cannot see, including ideas of the divine. Discover more about this artwork and plan your in-person visit on the museum's website: https://museum.gwu.edu/anne-lindberg-what-color-divine-light Video by Derek Porter.
Get to know the basics of conservation lab safety with Associate Conservator Gennifer Majors at the Avenir Foundation Conservation and Collections Resource Center. Remember, you can always visit our website to learn about caring for textiles in your own home: https://museum.gwu.edu/textile-care-display
Step back into the Avenir Foundation Conservation and Collections Resource Center with us for a look at how Winterthur Conservation Intern Awyn Rileybird builds passive mats for textiles. Storing archaeological textiles in passive mats helps make them more easily accessible for researchers while keeping the textiles protected.
Take a look under the stereomicroscope with Megalli Conservation Fellow Callie Jerman. This device lets you look close enough to see how individual yarns were spun within a larger textile. With a movable stand, this powerful tool is easy to move around the conservation lab.
Get some #MondayMotivation from celebrated Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama. Kusama has worked in media ranging from painting to performance art, but she is best known for her sculptures, many of which showcase patterns of dots. Do you incorporate any recurring patterns in your work? http://yayoi-kusama.jp/e/information/index.html
Explore 125 years of Korean costume and fashion with us! Visit our latest exhibition, "Korean Fashion: From Royal Court to Runway," during the museum's open hours: Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Plan your visit today: https://museum.gwu.edu/visit
Erin Robertson, winner of Project Runway Season 15, has been putting her talents to good use during the COVID-19 crisis. She has been sewing cotton face masks for healthcare workers, as well as selling some chic options on her website to raise money towards her frontline donation efforts. In this interview, Robertson discusses her artistic practice and donation efforts with Curator of Contemporary art Caroline Kipp. About the Art of Masks series: Through a series of conversations with Curator of Contemporary Art Caroline Kipp, experts from a range of disciplines discuss issues and questions raised by the proliferation of mask making and wearing. The views and opinions expressed by program speakers do not necessarily reflect the policies or positions of the George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum, or its partners.
A new and sweeping trend of mask wearing fuels new consumption. Caroline Kipp, curator of contemporary art, talks with Yasmin Ahram of the Slow Factory Foundation about sustainability and mask making. About the Art of Masks series: Through a series of conversations with Curator of Contemporary Art Caroline Kipp, experts from a range of disciplines discuss issues and questions raised by the proliferation of mask making and wearing. The views and opinions expressed by program speakers do not necessarily reflect the policies or positions of the George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum, or its partners.
Even hospitals have recommended patterns for making your own mask at home. Caroline Kipp, curator of contemporary art, talks with Ana M. Rule, Ph.D., about mask making from a medical perspective. About the Art of Masks series: Through a series of conversations with Curator of Contemporary Art Caroline Kipp, experts from a range of disciplines discuss issues and questions raised by the proliferation of mask making and wearing. The views and opinions expressed by program speakers do not necessarily reflect the policies or positions of the George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum, or its partners.
Located in the heart of Washington, D.C., the George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum celebrates the creative achievements of local and global cultures from antiquity through today. The museum unites The Textile Museum, established in 1925, and the Albert H. Small Center for National Capital Area Studies to engage the university and the wider community through collections, scholarship, exhibitions, and educational programs.
Cotsen Textile Traces Study Center
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American University Museum at the Katzen Arts
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Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens
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