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CURRENT EXHIBITIONS  - NOW OPEN!

BoldAbstractionsBold Abstractions: Textiles from Central Asia & Iran
January 24, 2010 - May 9, 2010

Curated by Rochelle Kessler

For millennia, nomads have wandered across the steppes and oases of Central Asia in search of pasture for their herds and traveled along the famed trading route, the “Silk Road,” which stretched from China to the Mediterranean. Bold Abstractions: Textiles from Central Asia & Iran presents mementos of this nomadic culture in a dazzling display of mid-nineteenth to mid-twentieth-century traditional garments, personal adornment, and domestic accessories. A feast for the eyes, this exhibition includes brilliantly-hued Uzbek ikat-dyed robes and exquisitely embroidered Turkmen mantles. Boldly conceived Kyrgyz felted tent trappings contrasted in texture and technique with smaller-scale Persian masterpieces in the form of woven pile carpets that once faced animal pack bags. Silver-gilt, nielloed, and gem-inlaid ornaments in their original context were beautiful signifiers of gender, age, and clan identity. Throughout the exhibition visitors can delight in bold designs in the form of highly stylized animal, vegetal, and cosmological symbols. With origins in some ancient, unwritten compendium, these motifs allude to abundance and well-being, basic desires of all peoples past and present.

This exhibition originated at Mingei International Museum, San Diego Ca.

Read the Bold Abstractions press release, HERE.


FoolsJourneyThe Fool's Journey: The History and Symbolism of the Tarot
January 24, 2010 - May 9, 2010

Curated by Robert M. Place

While known today primarily as a fortune telling or occult deck, the Tarot was born out of the intellectual and artistic developments of the Italian Renaissance. Links to the Tarot’s icons and symbology can be found in the popular arts and philosophy of this rich historic period. Influenced by alchemy, Hermetic mysticism and the concept of Anima Mundi (the fifth element of life), the Tarot became a conversation between mystics and artists that has lasted over five centuries. This exhibition will illuminate the 22 cards of the Tarot’s major arcana, from the Fool to the World, presenting historic examples from early decks and relating them to other works of art from that era. It will continue with historic examples of the French deck known as The Tarot of Marseilles and early occult decks that bloomed from this tradition. Popular twentieth century decks including the Waite-Smith Tarot, and works of art by modern Tarot artists will be featured to provide a deeper understanding of the Tarot’s artistic legacy and message of mystical transformation.

Read the Fool's Journey press release, HERE.

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Symbols and Cultural Collages Family Workshop

Saturday | January 30
1:30 pm - 3:30 pm


Personal Tarot: A Linoleum Printing Workshop

Tuesdays | February 16 - March 2
7 pm - 9:30 pm


Curator's Lecture for Bold Abstractions

Sunday | February 21
3 pm


Friendship Bracelets with a new TWIST Family Workshop

Saturday | February 27
1:30 pm - 3:30 pm


Handbags: Central Asian Style

Sunday | February 28
1 pm - 4 pm


An Introduction to the Tarot Workshop

Sunday | March 21
1 pm - 5 pm


Style and Identity, People or Place: The Case for Lakai Suzanis

Saturday | April 17
2 pm

Program sponsored by the Textile Museum Associates of Southern California, Inc.

 


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Craft and Folk Art Museum
5814 Wilshire Boulevard | Los Angeles, CA 90036 | Tel 323.937.4230 | www.cafam.org | info@cafam.org