The “Afterlives: Material Stories from the Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection” gallery opened on Feb. 5 at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Nancy Nicholas Hall, personifying the tales and processes of materials that concoct the fabric of our lives as humans, students and artists alike.
Walking into the gallery is like witnessing a fleet of butterflies take their course. Insect decals surface the blue walls that clothing and objects pop out from. Optimism, creativity, color and innovation invite the viewer through the glass doors of the Lynn Mecklenburg Textile Gallery.
The collection shares the sagas of what happens to materials in their lifespan at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and beyond. It's a fun reminder that even objects can have fruitful lives for us to study, from their formation to current purpose.
Dr. Sara Anne Carter, executive director of the Center for Design and Material Culture (CDMC), told The Daily Cardinal employees at the Center in the School of Human Ecology get to witness daily how the 14,000 textile materials influence, inspire and weave their way into student curricula. This exhibit delivers a visible rendition of that idea.
It’s like unraveling the fabric of a department’s collection, thread by thread, in various ways, she said.
“We might accept something into our collection because it's an important example of something from 2,000 years ago, but in our collection, those objects become something else too, they become research, they become teaching, they become storytelling possibilities,” Carter said.
The first part of the gallery focuses on the idea of metamorphosis.
The symbol of the butterfly finds itself on clothing and in patterns, such as on an eclectic, pink and blue hostess dress from the 1950s. A 20th-century Miaou Chinese Maker’s robe in a deep, indigo-blue is a mesmerizing example of cultural tradition and patterning. A Child's Dress made of feed sack from the early 20th century reminds viewers of the wonderful way materials are repurposed. There’s even butterfly structures courtesy of the Insect Research Collection.
Stepping deeper into the collection, viewers move from cheery confines into a bright open space divided into three main categories: vital textiles, items that inspired student work and objects and teaching.
Vital textiles are classified as creations that are complex, incredibly detailed and sometimes incomprehensible. This could mean embroidery so detailed you may need a magnifying glass to see all of its thread.
Student works include innovations inspired by hoop skirts, such as an incredible “Hooded Corset and Tube Pants” ensemble that explores the sensory of fashion by Eden Meidl and a giant geometric “Hoop Garment” by Gracie Harshaw, two student recipients of the Chipstone-CDMC Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship. The teaching portion includes an extraordinary wreath made of human hair, woven into dainty flowers and configurations. There’s even a pair of Chicago artist Yohance Joseph Lacour’s incredible leather Bespoke shoes.
Whether interested in history, science, textiles or art in general, there’s robust material for students and guests to explore.
“Curatorial work is collaborative,” Carter said. As a curator and the CDMC’s director, she pays close attention, listening to visitors, taking note of her colleagues' fixations with objects they point to recurrently whe teaching and also thinking about the minds and creations of students.
“Afterlives” remains on display until May 5, 2025.
