Dallas Museum of Art presents Textiles Tied and Dyed

DALLAS, TX.- The Dallas Museum of Art presents an exhibition featuring international textiles ranging in date from the late 19th to the middle of the 20th century, half of which are recent additions to the DMA’s permanent collection and will be shown for the first time. Resisting Color: Textiles Tied and Dyed, organized by Carol Robbins, The Ellen and Harry S. Parker III Curator of the Arts of the Americas and the Pacific, and on view in the Museum’s Focus Gallery I, features 18 textiles. On view through 24 August, 2008.

They are international in origin, representing Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, and Guatemala in the Americas; Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon, and Algeria in Africa; and Indonesia (the islands of Bali, Sulawesi, Sumba, and Flores), Laos, China’s Hainan Island, and Uzbekistan in Island Southeast Asia and mainland Asia. Most of the textiles in the exhibition were originally used as ceremonial clothing, but several examples functioned on their own in ritual events.

The exhibition’s title, Resisting Color: Textiles Tied and Dyed, refers to the techniques by which the designs on these textiles were created. The patterning on each textile in the show resulted from a process that resisted the coloring agent or dye. For some, such as the Hausa man’s robe from Cameroon in West Africa and the Mapuche poncho from Southern Chile, the yarns were tied and dyed before they were put on the loom and woven (ikat). For others, including the Ranquel chief’s poncho from Argentina, woven cloth was tied before it was dyed (plangi). These two ponchos representing both the ikat and plangi techniques have never before been presented together in the United States.

 Resisting color does not mean an absence of color. Even when the process is restricted to two colors—dark blue and white are common—the variation in the blue can be remarkably nuanced. Additional colors can be added by repeating the tying and dyeing process.

“The exhibition began as a way to showcase recent additions to the Museum’s textile collection and attest to the cultural diversity of the collection overall,” said Robbins. “However, it quickly transformed into a tribute to the dyers’ art, which is itself rich in aesthetic and cultural significance.”

About the Dallas Museum of Art

The Dallas Museum of Art, established in 1903, has an encyclopedic collection of more than 23,000 works, spanning 5,000 years of history and representing all media, with renowned strengths in the arts of the ancient Americas, Africa, Indonesia and South Asia; European and American painting, sculpture and decorative arts; and American and international contemporary art.

The Dallas Museum of Art is the anchor of the Dallas Arts District and serves as the cultural magnet for the city with diverse programming ranging from exhibitions and lectures to concerts, literary readings, dramatic and dance presentations, and a full spectrum of programs designed to engage people of all ages with the power and excitement of art.

General admission to the Museum is $10 for adults, $7 for senior citizens and $5 for students with current school identification. Museum members and children under 12 are free. Admission is free to all on Thursdays from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. and the first Tuesday of the month. For more information, visit www.DallasMuseumofArt.org or call 214-922-1200.