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Gallery Talk about Flora & Fiber Exhibit at Funk Textile Museum

Flora & Fiber Director’s Gallery Talk
By Carla Funk, Executive Director and Chief Curator of University Museums

Saturday, July 15
1 p.m.
Funk Center Galleries (Florida Tech Campus)
Free Admission

Join Florida Tech Director of University Museums, Carla Funk, for an exclusive tour of the Ruth Funk Center for Textile Arts’ featured exhibition Flora and Fiber! Curated exclusively from the Center’s permanent collection, the exhibition presents the botanical sources, application and iconography in textiles from three continents, specifically highlighting Asian textiles’ profound and enduring influence on the development of modern fashion and design. In this visually- engaging talk, visitors will learn about the decorative inspiration and ingenious application of plants and fiber materials in diverse cultures around the world.

Flora and Fiber exhibit is on display at the Ruth Funk Textile Museum though August 26, 2017

This exhibition, curated from the Center’s permanent collection, explores the use and depiction of flowers and foliage in fiber art. From their ability to visually inspire iconography to their use as raw material for hand-weaving and dyeing, plants have a unique relationship to the creation and adornment of textiles across the globe.

As society advanced toward the modern age, art and design in the Americas and Europe was overwhelmingly influenced by the export of goods, materials and aesthetics from Central, East and South Asia. Lands to the east of Europe served as a source of significant inspiration. Artistic use of floral motifs and materials continue weaving techniques and traditions still practiced by skilled artisans today.

Flora and Fiber presents the botanical sources, application and iconography in textiles from three continents, highlighting Asian textiles’ profound and enduring influence on the development of modern fashion and design.

 

This exhibition is supported, in part, by the John K. and Julia R. Roach Fund of the Community Foundation for Brevard.

Images (from left): Haori, Japan, c. 1920-30s. Cotton exterior, heavy weave hand-painted dip-dyed silk interior. Gift of Jane Francoeur, 2013.08.09; Suzani, Uzbekistan, c. 19th century. Cotton, embroidery. Gift of William D. and Norma Canelas Roth, 2013.13.04; Child’s Rain Cape, China, c. early 20th century. Coconut palm fiber, cotton, hand sewn. Gift of Ruth Funk, 2011.14.01. Photos by Dominic Agostini.

Terri Wright held the position of General Manager at WFIT from 1998-2023.