Ruth Funk Center for Textile Arts
Flora & Fiber
May 20 - August 26, 2017
This exhibition, curated from the Center’s permanent collection, will explore the use and depiction of flowers and foliage in fiber art. From their ability to visually inspire iconography to their use as raw material for hand-weaving and dyeing, plants have a unique relationship to the creation and adornment of textiles across the globe.
As society advanced toward the modern age, art and design in the Americas and Europe was overwhelmingly influenced by the export of goods, materials and aesthetics from Central, East and South Asia. Lands to the east of Europe served as a source of significant inspiration. Artistic use of floral motifs and materials continue weaving techniques and traditions still practiced by skilled artisans today.
Flora and Fiber presents the botanical sources, application and iconography in textiles from three continents, highlighting Asian textiles’ profound and enduring influence on the development of modern fashion and design.
