Ceremonies and Celebrations: Textile Treasures

Drawn from the museum’s extraordinary collection of over 2,700 costumes and textiles from China, Korea, Japan, India, the Himalayas and Southeast Asia.

Textiles are tactile, colorful objects that play an integral role in the lives of people across Asia. They are made with care and display a variety of techniques, colors, and materials that reveal a great deal about the cultures from which they originate. Often times, the processes in which they were made and the motifs embellished into their surfaces directly relate to belief and power in Asian communities. The finest textiles are reserved for ceremonies and celebrations marking special occasions, and specific style, color, or motifs function as visual cues to the nature of such ceremonies, as well as the social status of a person or people involved.

With select examples across Asia, Ceremonies and Celebrations will explore interesting ideas that can connect these vast regions together.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website.