Stitches in Time

Textile arts comprise some of the most grassroots forms of expression. Born of necessity and woven through with elements of creative design since the dawn of mankind, in modern times they’ve morphed into a whole genre of multimedia work that slides right off the functional grid and directly into the...

By Susan Froyd

September 12, 2013

Audio By Carbonatix

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Textile arts comprise some of the most grassroots forms of expression. Born of necessity and woven through with elements of creative design since the dawn of mankind, in modern times they’ve morphed into a whole genre of multimedia work that slides right off the functional grid and directly into the realm of fine art. The Denver Art Museum has much to offer in its own newly revamped and beefed-up textile collection (and more to come, thanks to a generous Mellon Foundation gift announced in April), as evidenced in today’s opening of Spun: Adventures in Textiles, a group of exhibitions designed to walk viewers through a textile-arts history lesson. Much like the clay blockbuster Marvelous Mud of two summers ago, Spun will spread its wings throughout the DAM to focus on different aspects of the collection as well as introduce the new wave to viewers, particularly in the anchor exhibit, Cover Story, in the new Textile Arts Gallery.

“Cover Story introduces the public to the scope of our textile-art gallery collection by exploring the multitude of ways textiles permeate our lives, from bedcovers, furnishing fabrics and robes of prestige to ceremonial, ritual and talismanic textiles,” says DAM textile-arts curator Alice Zrebiec. “The theme allows the presentation of objects from different cultures and periods in thought-provoking juxtaposi-tion.”

See Spun at the Denver Art Museum, 100 West 14th Avenue Parkway, today through September 22; admission is included in the regular museum entry fee of $3 to $13. Visit the DAM online at denverartmuseum.org or call 720-865-5000 for more information.
Tuesdays-Sundays. Starts: May 19. Continues through Sept. 22, 2013

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Susan Froyd started writing for Westword as the "Thrills" editor in 1992 and never quite left the fold. These days she still freelances for the paper in addition to walking her dogs, enjoying cheap ethnic food and reading voraciously. Sometimes she writes poetry.

Contact: Susan Froyd

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