Layers of Meaning: Color and Design in Guatemalan Textiles, Parts 1 and 2
A two-part exhibition of Guatemalan textiles from the permanent collection of the Avenir Museum. Part 1 was the inaugural exhibition in the Avenir Museum Gallery, as part of the museum’s opening.
The rich cultural heritage of the descendants of the Mayan people can be found in the vivid colors and traditional motifs of Guatemalan highland textiles. Textile traditions found in Guatemala have been passed down from mother to daughter through the centuries. Mayan spinners and weavers produce dazzling works of art where layers of meaning can be found in the color, construction, and design of these indigenous textiles.
Guatemala is a Central American country roughly the size of Ohio. At elevations of five to ten thousand feet the south-central highlands are home to many descendants of the ancient Mayan civilization. Before the introduction of modern transportation highland villages were relatively isolated. This isolation lead to the development of many distinct cultural identities within the region often associated with a specific village.
Clothing worn by the indigenous people of the Guatemalan highlands serves as an outward indication of their precise cultural identity. Over several hundred years the design motifs and color combinations found on traditional clothing evolved into a specialized visual language. The trained eye learns embroidered birds identify someone from Santiago Atitlán while painterly florals inspired by European needle point are worn by the inhabitants of Chichicastenango.
This exhibition brings together objects from a number longtime donors to illustrate the story of these textiles through their many Layers of Meaning.
