Courses in textiles have been a part of the Art Department's offerings for the past 30 years. When Mark Johnson, our gallery director, said he would like to do a textiles exhibition and asked me, as head of the textiles area, to work with him, I jumped at the chance. In terms of textiles Northern California represents a distinct region with a distinct voice, that is historically unique and important. We wanted to take the first step in documenting and showcasing this history.
Textiles span the world of the practical and functional.
They are our most intimate environment and they play a major role in our ceremonies and our aesthetics. They are particularly associated with the feminine, with the body, and with the home. Although we are only able to scratch the surface with this exhibition, we plan to showcase a number of textiles, which we consider art objects, to show the incredible richness and variety that has originated in Northern California over time. The exhibition will be accompanied by a catalogue which will include a number of essays tracing the influences of textile work from different cultural and social perspectives. However, we've been forced to make a few major omissions.