By Women, About Women: Stories in Fabric

March 1 – May 31, 2011

The Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection and the Kohler Art Library present “By Women, About Women: Stories in Fabric,” an exhibition of textiles and textile-inspired artists’ books at the Kohler Art Library, UW-Madison. This exhibition kicks off the commemoration of Women’s History Month and celebrates the 2010-2011 Year of the Arts at UW-Madison.

Curator statement: “By Women, About Women” is a celebration of our identity, creativity, grace, and style. There are only a few creations in history that fulfill every human necessity and our need and love for fabric is so ubiquitous that we don’t even realize that it is our greatest human invention. Textiles are as omnipresent as our stories; they are intrinsic to every society around the world, giving form to what we feel, do, and how we understand life. “By Women, About Women” is an exhibition that showcases the patterns of women’s lives. Whether it is an example of women’s fashion, a crazy quilt, a story about housework, or how women have put their “best figure forward,” “By Women, About Women” evokes the nuances of women’s lives, rumors, gossip, and old wives tales.

Curated by Isadora Gabrielle Leidenfrost (Ph.D. candidate, Design Studies).

Image:  By Women, About Women (poster).