The Curated Object

Exhibitions Washington, D.C. Weaving Abstraction: Kuba Textiles and the Woven Art of Central Africa. The Textile Museum. The Curated Object

Chief’s Tunic or Cape (kinzembe)

D.R. Congo or Angola 

Kongo-related peoples

Possibly 19th century

The Textile Museum 1962.1.14

Textile Museum acquisition

Photo by Renée Comet

 

Royal Girdle with 

Symbolic Insignia (Yet) 

D.R. Congo, Bushong people 

20th century 

Collection of Matthew Polk and Amy Gould, Photo by Renée Comet 

 

 

Titleholders headresses - Kuba

 
Weaving Abstraction galleries, photo by Katy Uravitch

Weaving Abstraction: Kuba Textiles and the Woven Art of Central Africa

October 15-February 12. 2012

The Textile Museum in Washington, D.C., will open a groundbreaking new exhibition this fall titled “Weaving Abstraction: Kuba Textiles and the Woven Art of Central Africa” (October 15, 2011 through February 12, 2012) The exhibition showcases some of the best examples of this complex tradition. Ingeniously woven from palm fiber, Central African textiles distinguished the wealthy and powerful. Skirts, reaching over 15 feet in width, were layered on top of one another and worn with decorated belts and hats. Woven art from the Kuba kingdom makes playful use of a language of over 200 patterns and its signature aesthetic brings to mind the rhythms of improvisational jazz.

The exhibition includes approximately 140 objects ranging from small, exquisite baskets to skirts measuring more than 15 feet in width. “Weaving Abstraction” presents new research and is accompanied by a full-color, 218-page catalog by guest curator Vanessa Drake Moraga. To compliment this exhibition, The Textile Museum will present its fall

symposium on the topic “Central African Textiles: Art and Cultural Narrative” (October 14-16, 2011). “Weaving Abstraction” places Kuba textiles within the larger context of Central African culture by including fiber art and baskets from the Kongo, Tutsi and other peoples. It is the most comprehensive exploration of this beautiful and impressive art form to date in the United States.

About the Kuba Kingdom:

The Kuba Kingdom emerged in the early 17th century and grew to approximately 20 culturally related ethnic groups across a region in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo. Referred to as the “people of the lightning, people of the cloth, people of the king,” Kuba culture is defined by the richness of its costume and the importance placed on art and embellishment. Thanks to their control of the ivory trade in the region, Kuba society was relatively wealthy and leisure time was dedicated to artistic pursuits. Unlike surrounding cultures, the Kuba kingdom was closed to foreigners until the 1890s, which protected its artistic traditions from outside influence.

Masters of the Textile Arts

The textiles on view in “Weaving Abstraction” are not made of wool or silk, but instead are constructured almost entirely of raffia, a fiber made from the leaves of a palm tree that grows throughout Central Africa. It is short, coarse and difficult to work with—but it was used with skill to make skirts, headwear, nets, mats, baskets and even the walls and roofs of homes. Raffia was spiritually important for the Kuba, and textiles defined status, ceremonies, funerals and other important occasions.

Kuba textiles are renowned for their creative use of pattern and expert technique. Kuba designs are not only decorative, but use a system of “sacred geometry”— symbols only fully understood by members of the culture. African societies often relied on oral traditions and iconography to communicate their worldview, making geometric designs an important way to convey moral, spiritual and philosophical beliefs. The Shoowa, a subset of the Kuba people, were especially skilled at a textile technique which created a plush, or velvet-like, texture. Weavers played with the striking contrast between gold raffia and dark natural dyes, and combined a smooth weave with this three-dimensional texture.

Surrealist and Modernist artists of the early twentieth century were greatly influenced by African art, and this included textiles. When introduced to the western world in the early nineteenth century, the Kuba aesthetic was coveted by collectors and influenced artists, including Henri Mattisse, Sonia Delauney, Paul Klee and artists of the Harlem Renaissance.

On View

“Weaving Abstraction” includes approximately 30 skirts and overskirts, 70 baskets and 27 “status cloths,” in addition to several hats, belts and other accessories. Wrap skirts worn by Kuba women and men were often layered below exquisite overskirts with intricate borders. These skirts are displayed flat, showcasing their abstract designs. When displayed in this manner, the objects resemble paintings, ones filled with the bold patterns and striking juxtapositions that attracted Modernist artists.

Excellent examples of the fine baskets made by the peoples of the Great Lakes region of Central Africa are also on view. Large baskets with peaked lids were used for grain storage, and smaller versions were used to safeguard precious goods or were displayed to communicate status.

 For more information please visit: The Textile Museum

Exhibitions Washington, D.C. Colors of the Oasis: Central Asian Ikats. The Textile Museum. The Curated Object

Woman's robe (munisak), Uzbekistan, Samarkand or Fergana valley, second half 19th century. TM 2005.36.114. The Megalli Collection

 

Robe, Uzbekistan, Samarkand or Fergana valley, second half 19th century. TM 2005.36.110. The Megalli Collection

Robe, Uzbekistan, Fergana valley, third quarter 19th century. TM 2005.36.100. The Megalli Collection

Robe, Uzbekistan, Fergana valley, second half 19th century. TM 2005.36.115. The Megalli Collection

Robe (front), Uzbekistan, Bukhara, mid 19th century, c. 1860-1880 (lining). TM 2005.36.135. The Megalli Collection

Dress (front), Tajikistan, Hisar valley, early 20th century. TM 2005.36.124. The Megalli Collection

Colors of the Oasis Central Asian Ikats on view at The Textile Museum through March 13, 2011. Photo by Kevin Allen

Colors of the Oasis Central Asian Ikats on view at The Textile Museum through March 13, 2011. Photo by Kevin Allen.

Colors of the Oasis Central Asian Ikats on view at The Textile Museum through March 13, 2011. Photo by Kevin Allen

 

                         

 

Colors of the Oasis: Central Asian Ikats

October 16, 2010 through March 13, 2011

By JoAnn Greco

In the streets of 19th-century Central Asian oasis towns, a man’s clothing defined his status in society and proclaimed his wealth. In the home, the place of honor was filled with the richest ikat textiles, and these floor-length coats — alive with graphic red, organge, and gold patterns— played a central role during ceremonial observances.

Resist-dyed in a process similar to tie-dye, and then woven, the ikats of Uzbekistan are distinguished by bold, original designs using vibrant colors. These textiles — which also appear in Southeast Asian cultures, as well as in Japan and South and Central America — derive their name (which has its roots in Indonesian language, and can mean cord or knot, or to tie or to bind)  from the technique used to create them. 

Warps — and sometimes also the wefts — are bundled, then bound and dyed several times before weaving, resulting in eye-catching swirls of dazzling colors. This exhibition features a selection of the Central Asian ikats given to The Textile Museum by collector Murad Megalli, on view for the first time ever.

 

For more information please visit textilemuseum.org

 

Exhibitions Washington DC. A Revolution in Wood: The Bresler Collection. Smithsonian American Art Museum,Renwick Gallery. The Curated Object

Autumn Vase
Michelle Holzapfel
1993, sugar maple burl

Smithsonian American Art Museum
Gift of Fleur and Charles Bresler in honor of Kenneth R. Trapp, curator-in-charge of the Renwick Gallery (1995--2003)

 

Hana Valley, First View from the “Peaks and Valleys Series”
Derek A. Bencomo
1995-97, milo

Smithsonian American Art Museum
Gift of Fleur and Charles Bresler in honor of Kenneth R. Trapp, curator-in-charge of the Renwick Gallery (1995--2003)

Dance, from the "Old Earth Series",
Christian Burchard
1997, primavera

Smithsonian American Art Museum
Gift of Fleur and Charles Bresler in honor of Kenneth R. Trapp, curator-in-charge of the Renwick Gallery (1995--2003)

First Gold Box
M. Dale Chase
about 1996, 14k gold

Smithsonian American Art Museum
Gift of Fleur and Charles Bresler in honor of Kenneth R. Trapp, curator-in-charge of the Renwick Gallery (1995--2003)

 
Ode to Today
Frank E. Cummings III
1993, ebony, 18k gold, pearls, and imperial topaz

Smithsonian American Art Museum
Gift of Fleur and Charles Bresler in honor of Kenneth R. Trapp, curator-in-charge of the Renwick Gallery (1995--2003)

 

Black Lotus
Ron Fleming
1996, ebony

Smithsonian American Art Museum
Gift of Fleur and Charles Bresler in honor of Kenneth R. Trapp, curator-in-charge of the Renwick Gallery (1995--2003)

Patan from the "Solstice Series"
David Ellsworth,
ash and metallic fabric paint

Smithsonian American Art Museum
Gift of Fleur and Charles Bresler in honor of Kenneth R. Trapp, curator-in-charge of the Renwick Gallery.

 

Table Bracelet: Promenade Suite
Michelle Holzapfel
1997, maple, birch, cherry, and brass

Smithsonian American Art Museum
Gift of Fleur Bresler, 1999

A Revolution in Wood: The Bresler Collection

By Diana Bae

September 24-January 30, 2011

 

If you’re lucky, you might get to visit the Renwick Gallery’s Bresler Collection on one of the days a woodworker is intensely engaged with h/er craft, illustrating the artisanal spirit imbedded into one of the pieces you will find in A Revolution in Wood. The demonstration offers a fascinating (albeit loud) introduction to the nearly 70 serene and beautiful items just beyond the woodworking station (called a lathe).  

Woodturning on a lathe only recently became a form of expression and art. For centuries, it served a mainly practical purpose for carpenters. In the mid-20th century, and with the introduction of carving, artists realized they could use the method in a more creative way. The Bresler Collection provides a sleek and well-curated exhibition that highlights works from some of the most preeminent woodworkers in the US. 

Many of the items on display are simple but elegant, each proudly revealing the specific characteristics of the wood from which it's turned. Clearly the artists understand and respect their medium. One of the most striking pieces is Derek A. Bencomo’s Hana Valley. Meant to reflect the landscape of Maui, the vessel has a bowl-like shape, but is sculpted in a fashion that renders it alive and fluid.  

When the woodwork is combined with different mediums, the outcome can be brilliant, as in David Ellsworth’s Patan.  A striking streak of fabric paint set against the dark ash makes it look modern and unique. 

The collection is small, but filled with many pieces you’ll want sitting in your living room (and that you’ll forbid others from touching, of course). 

For more information, please visit: The Renwick Gallery at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

 

Exhibitions Washington, DC. Read My Pins! The Madeleine Albright Collection. The Smithsonian Castle. The Curated Object

          
 
Serpent, circa 1860. Designer unknown, USA. 18KT yellow gold, diamond. 2.4” x 1.1” (6.1cm x 2.8cm). Courtesy of the Madeleine Albright Collection. Photo: John Bigelow Taylor

and 

Blue bird, circa 1880. Anton Lachmann, Austria, 14KT yellow gold, silver, enamel, rubies, diamonds. 4.3” x 2” (11cm x 5.1cm). Courtesy of the Madeleine Albright Collection. Photo: John Bigelow Taylor

               

Bee, circa 1980. Designer unknown, USA. 14KT pink gold, silver, enamel, diamonds, garnets. 2.4” x 1.9” (6cm x 4.9cm). Courtesy of the Madeleine Albright Collection. Photo: John Bigelow Taylor

and

Dragon and Sword, circa 2004. Designer unknown, acquired in Turkey. 14KT yellow and white gold, silver, garnet cabochons, baroque freshwater cultured pearls, diamonds, emeralds. 4.8” x 0.9” (12cm x 9 cm). Courtesy of the Madeleine Albright Collection. Photo: John Bigelow Taylor

               

Liberty, 1997. Gijs Bakker, Netherlands. Sterling silver, stainless-steel watches. 4.2” x 3.6” (10.7cm x 9.2cm). Courtesy of the Madeleine Albright Collection. Photo: John Bigelow Taylor 

and

American Flag, 2000. Robert Sorrell, USA. Yellow gold-plated base metal, glass bead, rhinestones. 6.3” x 2.8” (16cm x 7 cm). Courtesy of the Madeleine Albright Collection. Photo: John Bigelow Taylor

              

Hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil, 2000. Iradjmoini, USA. Tagua nuts, yellow gold-plated base metal, simulated pearls, antique German glass cabochons, crystals. 1.2” x 2.1” (3cm x 5.3cm). Courtesy of the Madeleine Albright Collection. Photo: John Bigelow Taylor 

and

Secretary of State Diamond Eagle, circa 1890. Designer unknown, France. 18KT yellow gold, diamonds, rubies, drop natural saltwater pearl. 3.5” x 1.1” (8.8cm x 2.9cm). Courtesy of the Madeleine Albright Collection. Photo: John Bigelow Taylor

              

Katie’s Heart, 1972. Katie Albright, USA. Clay. 2.8” x 2.4” (7.2cm x 6cm). Courtesy of the Madeleine Albright Collection. Photo: John Bigelow Taylor 

and 

Secretary Madeleine Albright, Portrait by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders

Read My Pins: The Madeleine Albright Collection

June 18-October 17, 2010

By Diana Bae

For some people, jewelry is just an accessory—just some pretty thing to go with the rest of your outfit. But for former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, her pins sent messages. And for a lady in such a high position of power, what she had to say about a certain situation was important. To see how she felt about something, all you have to do is look to the glimmering piece that she usually wore just below her left shoulder.

For four months, Albright’s traveling pins are on display in the majestic Smithsonian Castle in the heart of the capital’s National Mall. Tucked into a small wing of the building, the 300 pins are beautifully laid out in categories ranging from “Butterflies” to “Spiders”. Although it is a short exhibit, it is curated well; pieces are organized well and the accompanying descriptions are both informative and engaging.

Some of the most significant pieces in the collection include what might be her best-known pin and the one that started it all—the serpent. While she was the ambassador to the United Nations in 1994, Saddam Hussein’s poet-in-residence called her an “unparalleled serpent.” In turn, she wore a gold snake pin on her next visit to the country. Although Albright had always appreciated jewelry, it was at this moment that she realized the true impact it could have in the diplomatic world. 

As the years progressed, Albright became bolder in her choices (and I can’t imagine how heavy some of themmust have been hanging off her shirt). In the exhibit, the small and modest circle pin she wore during her college years sits across the room from the large and almost gaudy zebra pin that actually rested on the top of her shoulder during a meeting with Nelson Mandela. During a visit with Kim Jong-Il in North Korea, she was sure to wear the largest American flag pin she could find to emphasize democracy. She wore crabs and snails when she was displeased with the speed of a negotiation, and swans and owls when she wanted smooth and thoughtful talks. 

Other pins are more personal to Albright. Also on display is a brooch with broken glass that represents the glass ceiling she shattered when she became the first female Secretary of State. Her most meaningful pin, made by her then 5-year-old daughter out of clay, is also on exhibit. 

It is a small exhibit, but in the short time it takes to get through all of the pins in the collection, you can really appreciate the thought that went into every brooch choice and realize the influence and often, even the sassiness that one piece of jewelry can have. 

For more information, please visit the Smithsonian Institution.

Exhibitions Washington, DC. The Art of Gaman: Arts and Crafts from the Japanese American Internment Camps. The Sackler Gallery. The Curated Object

                                              Adachi Samurai

                              Artist unidentified, model ship

                                             Asawa carved box

                                               Fuji woven basket

                                             Fukuhara bird pins

                                             Iseyama teapot

                                    Kawamoto painting of the center

                                              Kawase Butsudan, closed

                                              Kawase Butsudan, open

                                               Kosugi display cabinet

                                       Kurusima toy train

                                      Matsumoto puzzle

                                             Noguchi, Ginger Rogers

                                             Toshima, barack model

                                          Yoshizuka, chair
 

 The Art of Gaman: Arts and Crafts from the Japanese American Internment Camps

March 5  — Jan. 30, 2011

By JoAnn Greco

We all vaguely know the story of the internment of Japanese Americans and its roots in the Pearl Harbor bombing, which set into effect a virulent ‘yellow peril’ in the West Coast cities where many first and second generation Japanese Americans had settled. But less recognized is the scope of that involuntary confinement. All told, some 120,000 citizens, two-thirds of them born in the U.S. — were shuttled to 10 separate camps. Faced with bare-bones accommodations and arid surroundings, the internees soon turned to a trait central to their heritage — gaman, or perseverance — and honed latent skills in making furniture, sculpture, fine crafts and painting to document their experiences and to survive them.

This always-moving and often-amazing exhibit showcases more than 120 of the resulting objects. Dozens of tiny floral corsages and animal brooches, meticulously assembled from thread, beans, and shells, illustrate how the adornment impulse is always present. A series of toys — dolls crafted from kimono scraps, board games cobbled together from whatever was hanging around, and, even, an amazing toy train made of scrap metal and wood — pay homage to the ever-triumphant spirit of play.  Ikebana baskets, woven from wrapping paper instead of bamboo, silently comment on the make-do, can-do element that is critical to gaman. 

Most of the work — from rustic furniture to teapots carved from slate to animal figures hewn from wood — was created by amateurs, but the exhibit also features a few familiar names. Isamu Noguchi, who volunteered to be interned at Poston, Arizona and then found it more difficult than he anticipated to leave, is on hand with a rather glum bust of Ginger Rogers. Jimmy Tsutomu Mirikitani, who wound up homeless in New York City and became the subject of the fascinating 2006 documentary “The Cats of Mirikitani,”  is represented by a haunting painting of the prisonlike barracks at the Tule Lake, California camp. 

As the curators — who include San Franciso author Delphine Hirasuna, who conceived of the exhibit after discovering a bird pin that belonged to her mother — point out, most of the paintings created by internees depicted lonely, people-free scenes. These artists may have felt isolated and exiled but, it’s clear, they were never truly alone. The healing power of art was all around them, and while the making of such art undoubtedly provided them with solace — and with something to do! —  the patience and dignity imbued in the works must surely have also bestowed upon those who viewed, used or were gifted with them equal inspiration and joy.

For more information, please visit: americanart.si.edu

Exhibitions Washington, DC. Man Ray, African Art and the Modernist Lens. The Phillips Collection. The Curated Object

Man Ray, Untitled (Commemorative figure of a queen, Bangwa Kingdom, Cameroon, 19th century, Paris, Musée Dapper), c.1933. © 2009 Man Ray Trust / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris

Man Ray, African Art and the Modernist Lens
October 10, 2009-January 10, 2010

Man Ray translated the 20th-century modernist taste for African art into photographs that reached a popular audience. About 60 of his photographs, many never before exhibited, along with more than 40 photographs by his contemporaries, including Cecil Beaton, Walker Evans, and Alfred Stieglitz, will appear side-by-side with 20 of the African objects featured in the images. The exhibition explores the pivotal role of these photographs in shaping the perception of non-Western objects as fine art. Man Ray, African Art and the Modernist Lens is organized by International Arts and Artists.

For more information please visit: The Phillips Collection

Exhibitions Washington, DC. Golden Seams: The Japanese Art of Mending Ceramics. The Freer Gallery of Art. The Curated Object

Tea Bowl
Japan, Mino or Seto ware
Muromachi period, early 16th century
Stoneware with iron and ash glazes over iron slip;maki-e lacquer repairs
6.3x16.8x16.8 cm
F1900.53

Golden Seams: The Japanese Art of Mending Ceramics

November 8, 2008-November 8, 2009

Clay vessels are remarkably durable, yet they are vulnerable to breakage if mishandled or dropped. This small exhibition presents 13 ceramics from China, Vietnam, Korea, and Japan that were mended and enhanced by a unique method created by Japanese craftsmen. This distinctive technique was based on the longstanding practice of using plant resin lacquer as an adhesive, but Japanese craftsmen transformed the appearance of the repair by sprinkling the lacquer with powdered gold, thus creating a new component for appreciation. "Gold" lacquer repairs became closely associated with ceramic utensils used for tea (chanoyu).

For more information please visit: The Freer Gallery of Art

Exhibitions Washington, DC. Brian Jungen: Strange Comfort. The National Museum of the American Indian. The Curated Object

Brian Jungen, Crux (as seen from those who sleep on the surface of the earth under the night sky) (detail), 2008. Suspended mobile depicting five animals. Steel, new and used suitcases, and wooden rowboat. National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution, 26/7253. Photo by Ernest Amoroso, NMAI. ©Brian Jungen. Brian Jungen, Crux (as seen from those who sleep on the surface of the earth under the night sky) (detail), 2008. Suspended mobile depicting five animals. Steel, new and used suitcases, and wooden rowboat. National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution, 26/7253. Photo by Ernest Amoroso, NMAI. ©Brian Jungen.

Brian Jungen, Crux (as seen from those who sleep on the surface of the earth under the night sky) (detail), 2008. Suspended mobile depicting five animals. Steel, new and used suitcases, and wooden rowboat. National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution, 26/7253. Photo by Ernest Amoroso, NMAI. ©Brian Jungen.

 

Crux (as seen from those who sleep on the surface of the earth under the night sky), 2008.

Steel, new and used suitcases, and wooden rowboat.

Approximately 26'2 x 19'8 x 16'4

Photographed while installed at the 2008 Sydney Biennale. Photo courtesy Catriona Jeffries Gallery, Vancouver.

National Museum of the American Indian 26/7253.

©Brian Jungen.

 

 
Carapace, 2009. Industrial waste bins, 11.63' x 26.25' x 21.9'. Courtesy of the artist, Casey Kaplan, NY, and Frac des Pays de la Loire, France. Photo: Mathieu Génon. ©Brian Jungen.

 

Blanket No. 7, 2008. Professional sports jerseys, 69 x 53½”. Sender Collection. Courtesy of the Sender Collection. ©Brian Jungen

Prototype for New Understanding #23, 2005. Nike Air Jordans, 18½ x 20½ x 5 7/8”. Collection of Debra and Dennis Scholl, Miami Beach, Florida.

Courtesy of Debra and Dennis Scholl. ©Brian Jungen.

 

The Prince, 2006. Baseball mitts and dress form, 82 x 24 x 19 ½”.  Sender Collection. Courtesy of the artist and Casey Kaplan, NY. Photo: Adam Reich. ©Brian Jungen.

 

1980, 1970, and 1960, 2007.

Golf bags with golf balls, and painted golf tees

139 x 38 x 27 in., 151 x 29 x 30 in., and 156 x 48 x 36 in.

Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto

L, purchased with the assistance of The David Yuile and Mary Elizabeth Hodgson Fund, 2007.

M, Promised gift of Rosamond Ivey.

R, Promised gift of Michael and Sonja Koerner.

Photo Credit: Craig Boyko.

© 2009 Brian Jungen.

Brian Jungen: Strange Comfort

October 16, 2009–August 8, 2010 

Brian Jungen transforms the familiar and banal into exquisite objects that engage themes of globalization, pop culture, museums, and the commodification of Indian imagery. Jungen (Dunne-za First Nations and Swiss-Canadian, b. 1970) first came to prominence with Prototypes for New Understanding (1998–2005), which turned Nike footwear into masks that suggested Northwest Coast iconography. Later works have included a pod of whales made from plastic chairs, totem poles made from golf bags, and a massive basketball court made from 224 sewing tables. Strange Comfort is a major survey that features Jungen's iconic works, as well as monumental new pieces never before seen in the United States. The exhibition is organized by National Museum of the American Indian Associate Curator Paul Chaat Smith.

For more information please visit: The National Museum of the American Indian

Exhibitions Washington, DC. Fabrics of Feathers and Steel: The Innovation of Nuno. The Textile Museum. The Curated Object

Mercury, Reiko Sudo and Keiji Otani, 1997. 100% silk

Fabrics of Feathers and Steel:
The Innovation of Nuno

October 17, 2009 - April 11, 2010

The worldwide success of Japanese fashion designers owes much to the talented textile designers and manufacturers who enable their creative visions. Led by artistic director and co-founder Reiko Sudo, Nuno (meaning “functional fabric” in Japanese) integrates the techniques, materials and aesthetics of traditional Japanese textiles with cutting-edge technologies in order to create some of the world’s most innovative and influential fabrics. Experimenting with an eclectic array of materials ranging from stainless steel and aluminum to bamboo and bird feathers, as well as unorthodox finishing methods, such as burnishing, burning, and chemical dissolving, Reiko Sudo and her team have broadened the parameters of contemporary textile design. 

The exhibition will feature 18 examples from the Nuno studio, dating from the time of the company’s founding in 1984 to the present day. The fabrics will be hung in galleries adjacent to the showing of Contemporary Japanese Fashion: The Collection of Mary Baskett, inviting visitors to experience the design process from start to finish – from structure to style.

For more information please visit: The Textile Museum

Exhibitions Washington, DC. Contemporary Japanese Fashion: The Mary Baskett Collection. The Textile Museum. The Curated Object

Dress, Fall/Winter 1990/91, Issey Miyake (b. 1938), Japan. Collection of Mary Baskett

Contemporary Japanese Fashion: The Mary Baskett Collection
October 17, 2009 – April 11, 2010

In the 1970s and early 1980s, Japanese designers Issey Miyake, Rei Kawakubo and Yohji Yamamoto shocked the fashion world by introducing avant-garde styles that challenged received Western notions of “chic.” Informed in part by Japanese traditions such as the kimono, obi and the art of origami, these designers produced radical garments with shapes and textures often incongruous with the natural contours of the human body. Their designs—characterized by asymmetry, raw edges, unconventional construction, oversized proportions and monochromatic palettes—effectively overthrew existing norms and set the stage for the postmodernist movement in the fashion industry. Miyake, Yamamoto, and Kawakubo remain three of the most successful designers in today’s fashion world, and under their tutelage a new generation of Japanese talent has emerged.

This exhibition, an expanded version of an earlier showing at the Cincinnati Art Museum, will include approximately 40 garments from the collection of Mary Baskett, an art dealer and former curator of prints at the Cincinnati Art Museum who has been collecting and wearing Japanese high fashion since the 1960s.

For more information please visit: The Textile Museum

Exhibitions Washington, DC. Blue. The Textile Museum. The Curated Object

Hiroyuki Shindo, Shindigo Space 07, 2006. 'Shindigo shibori'-dyed cotton and hemp and Shindigo balls (polystyrene wrapped with hemp and dip-dyed). Courtesy of the artist. Photo by Joel Chester Fildes.


Hiroyuki  Shindo, Shindigo Space 07 (detail), 2006. 'Shindigo shibori'-dyed cotton and hemp and Shindigo balls (polystyrene wrapped with hemp and dip-dyed). Courtesy of the artist. Photo by Joel Chester Fildes.

Hiroyuki Shindo, Shindigo Space 07 (detail), 2006. 'Shindigo shibori'-dyed cotton and hemp and Shindigo balls (polystyrene wrapped with hemp and dip-dyed).Courtesy of the artist. Photo by Joel Chester Fildes.

Shihoko Fukumoto, Between East and West, 2003. Shibori stitch and pleat resist and indigo-dyed cotton and velvet. Courtesy of the artist.

Maria  Eugenia Davila and Eduardo Portillo, Guardian, 2006. Silk, Moriche palm fibers and wool from the Andean mountains. Dyed with indigo, eucalyptus and cochineal and handwoven                  in triple weave. Collection of The Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester, UK.


Fragment, India (found at Fustat), 15th century (?). Cotton; stamped and drawn resists, dyed blue. The Textile Museum 6.120.

Dragon robe, China, Qing dynasty, late 19th/early 20th century. Plain-weave silk with supplementary weft patterning. The Textile Museum 1961.15.1. Gift of Ethan W. Judd.

Tunic, Peru, Northern Andes, 1470-1532, Chachapoyas people. The Textile Museum 1962.6.1.


Kimono, Japan, Honshu, Niigata Prefecture, Echigo, first half of the 20th century. Plain weave, weft-resist dyed (weft ikat), Asa (hemp or ramie). The Textile Museum 1963.15.5. Museum purchase.


Tunic, Peru, Central Coast, Rimac-Lurin Style, 1476-1534. Slit tapestry weave, cotton. The Textile Museum 1966.7.30.


Navaho Chief's Blanket, Phase 1, ca. 1850. The Textile Museum 1976.30.3.


Fireman's coat, Japan, 19th century. The Textile Museum 1983.65.1.


Woman's headcover (chyrpy), Turkmen, Afghanistan or Uzbekistan, first half of the 20th century. The Textile Museum 1984.20.1.


Kain panjang (long cloth, hip wrapper), Indonesia, Yogyakarta (in the style of Ceribon), Chinese-Indonesian, 20th century. Commercial cotton, resist patterning. The Textile Museum 1998.11.16. Gift of Beverly Deffef Labin Collection.


Fragment, India (found in Fustat), 17th century (?). Cotton; stamped and drawn resists and painted mordants dyed red, blue, and black. The Textile Museum 6.152.


Royal tunic, Cameroon, Bamum people, 20th century. Resist patterned and indigo dyed cotton; animal hair.The Textile Museum 2007.30.3.


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.

For more information please visit: The Textile Museum

-Joanne Molina

Exhibitions Washington, D.C. Ornament as Art: Avant-Garde Jewelry from the Helen Williams Drutt Collection. The Smithsonian American Art Museum. The Curated Object

Photo:© Stanley Lechtzin Courtesy of the Smithsonian Museum of American Art

Ornament as Art: Avant-Garde Jewelry from the Helen Williams Drutt Collection (Renwick)
March 14 through July 6, 2008

Ornament as Art: Avant-Garde Jewelry from the Helen Williams Drutt Collection explores contemporary jewelry from a global perspective using a multilayered assessment of its history and critical issues in the field with a close examination of the objects themselves. The exhibition encourages an appreciation of contemporary jewelry beyond its traditional boundaries while honoring its craft roots by placing the work in context with seminal movements in the non-craft art world. Approximately 300 objects, including 275 pieces of jewelry, 20 drawings and watercolors and five constructions and sculptures, are included in the exhibition. Cindi Strauss, curator of modern and contemporary decorative arts and design at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, organized the exhibition; Robyn Kennedy, chief of the Renwick Gallery, is coordinating the exhibition in Washington.

For more information please visit: The Smithsonian American Museum of Art
-Joanne Molina

Exhibitions Washington, DC. New Threads: Quilts and Costumes. The DAR Museum. The Curated Object

All images courtesy of the DAR Museum

New Threads: Quilts and Costumes
November 9, 2007 - March 1, 2008

Being a museum curator isn't just about picking old or pretty objects for a collection - so what does make an object "museum-worthy"? The DAR Museum exhibition "New Threads: Quilts and Costumes," which runs from November 9, 2007 - March 1, 2008, invites patrons into the mind of a curator by showcasing recently acquired quilts and costumes and explaining why and how each piece was accepted into the museum's collection.

Since the founding of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution in 1890, the DAR Museum collection has grown to more than 30,000 objects. Of these about 23 percent are clothing and textiles, including about 300 quilts. Most of the museum's acquisitions are donated, primarily by DAR members or their families, but sometimes by others who know the collection by reputation. The DAR Museum accepts donations, or occasionally purchases objects at auction, when a piece helps to fill in a gap or expand the collection, when it tells a compelling story of early-America, or when it provides comparison and contemplation of styles or society over time.

One of the strengths of the DAR Museum collection is that, because the DAR is a genealogical based organization, many of the objects are accompanied by their family histories and provenance which adds even more depth and significance to the collection.

Among the quilts on display are two rare early-Virginia quilts made by the same expert quilter (the third identical quilt belongs to Colonial Williamsburg). Amelia Lauck, a master quilter from Winchester, Virginia, created identical quilts for three of her six children which are today considered masterpieces of American folk art. Adding excitement to the already significant new acquisitions of the Lauck quilts is that over the years, 33 women have joined the DAR as descendents of Amelia's husband, Peter, who was a Revolutionary War hero. Through the outreach of DAR Museum Curator of Costumes and Textiles Alden O'Brien, several of the Lauck family descendents (some of whom have never met each other) are expected to attend the exhibition opening featuring their ancestor's masterpieces.

In addition to displaying quilts that retain family history, the exhibit also showcases quilts that were recently added to the collection based on their commemoration of early America, such as the 1876 Centennial Quilt. Other quilts on display also explain why the DAR Museum sometimes makes exceptions to its quilt collecting policy. A cotton "Blackbirds" quilt from 1940 is from later than most of the museum's collection (most date prior to 1900); however, acquiring it provided the DAR Museum the opportunity to expand its scope to include an African American made quilt. Throughout the collection, DAR Museum curators are eager to acquire objects from a diverse cross-section of regions, ethnicities, and distinct styles in American history.

The exhibit also displays other recently acquired "threads" - an assortment of early-American clothing. A pair of girl's dress from 1790 and 1860 shows how children's clothing had both progressed and regressed. Vintage paper dolls from 1830 and 1910 show the clothing styles at the peak of fashion at those times.

Additionally, a hands-on section makes the exhibit extra enjoyable for both children and adults. Magnetic boards allow patrons to choose different outfits for replica paper dolls and create their own quilt patterns with different shapes and colors. Visitors can feel different types of quilt fibers and even try weaving with a hand held loom.

With beautiful examples of early-American quilts and costumes and a glimpse inside the mind of a curator, the "New Threads" exhibition challenges visitors to think differently about antique items their family may own. And while many museums such as the DAR Museum unfortunately have to turn down more objects than they can accept, who is to say that your object isn't a piece that a museum is anxiously waiting to acquire?

For more information please visit: The DAR Museum
-Joanne Molina

Exhibitions Washington, DC. Wine, Worship and Sacrifice: Golden Graves of Ancient Vani Treasures from Georgia. The Aurther M. Freer and Sackler Galleries. The Curated Object

Signet Ring with Bird
Vani, Western Georgia, ca. 330 B.C.
Gold
1.6 cm
ELS2007.5.120
Image Credit: Georgian National Museum


Pendant Decorated with a Bust and Two Sphinxes
Vani, Western Georgia, ca. 330 B.C.
Gold
4.1 cm
ELS2007.5.114
Image Credit: Georgian National Museum

Pair of Bracelets with Rams Head Finials
Vani, Western Georgia, ca. 450 B.C.
Gold
5.3 cm
ELS2007.5.69a b
Image Credit: Georgian National Museum


Necklace Composed of Beads and Bird Pendants
Vani, Western Georgia, ca. 450 B.C.
Gold
1.5 x 0.8 cm
ELS2007.5.63
Image Credit: Georgian National Museum


Shroud Decoration with Tubular Beads, Rosette/Volute Pendants
Vani, Western Georgia, ca. 450 B.C.
Gold
2 x 0.2 cm
ELS2007.5.66
Image Credit: Georgian National Museum


Gold Diadem
Vani, Western Georgia, ca. 400 B.C.
Gold
4.6 cm X 12.1 cm
ELS2007.5.72
Image Credit: Georgian National Museum


Pair of Boat shaped Earrings
Vani, Western Georgia, ca. 400 B.C.
Gold
3.9 cm X 1.5 cm
ELS2007.5.77a b
Image Credit: Georgian National Museum

Pair of Temple Rings with Bird and Acorn Finials
Vani, Western Georgia, ca. 330 B.C.
Gold
10 cm
ELS2007.5.91a b
Image Credit: Georgian National Museum



Forehead Clip with Open Work
Vani, Western Georgia, ca. 330 B.C.
Gold
6.6 cm
ELS2007.5.108
Image Credit: Georgian National Museum

Wine, Worship and Sacrifice: Golden Graves of Ancient Vani Treasures from Georgia.
Dec. 1-Feb. 24, 2008

According to legend, Jason and his shipmates, the Argonauts, set sail on a perilous journey from Greece to Colchis (modern-day Georgia), then located beyond the known world. Less well known today, however, is the archaeology and artifacts of Colchis, with its intermingling of Greek and Persian motifs with local styles and traditions. Metalworking, whether in gold, silver, iron or bronze, was a traditional focus of Colchian art and craftsmanship. The earliest evidence of wine and winemaking comes from the area—another mainstay of Georgian life throughout several millennia.

For more information please visit: The Sackler and Freer Galleries

-Joanne Molina