This past April, Museo Textil de Oaxaca opened- the ONLY museum completely focused on textiles in all of Mexico (www.museotextildeoaxaca.org.mx). Housed in a beautifully renovated colonial structure, this museum,like many in Oaxaca is free will donations admission.There is a gift shop that features beautiful handmade rebozos (shawls) of silk, naturally dyed textiles and felted wool pieces.On the second floor is an extensive research library with housed pieces of textiles for closer study- this is also open to the public.
The current exhibition is :From Mitla to Sumatra: the art of the woven fret , a look at the significance of this woven image and it's thread throughout history and cultures. Included are both historic and contemporary pieces in varying textile pieces: costume, rugs,utilitarian objects.The objects are simply displayed,costumes are creatively exhibited on mannequins made of twisted,recycled newspaper.I immediately became concerned about the newsprint touching the costumes but later learned that there was a protective layer of Tyvek between the two.A written guide in English is provided and there are future plans for audio tours to be incorporated.
Eric Chavez, son of my weaving workshop family, is currently working at the museum and was kind enough to give me a behind the scenes tour.
Eric works in Education and he has been focusing on workshops for children to introduce them to the world of textiles from recognizing different fibers, natural dyes and learning the basic principles of weaving.Eric has a mission to help preserve the weaving traditions that he has grown up with.He also has written a proposal to bring workshops to outlying villages.He is an exceptionally bright young man with a heartfelt concern for the textile traditions that he sees fading around him.
I was introduced to the head of textile conservation Lic. Hector Manuel MenesesLozano.Hector is from Mexico City and has been with the museum for several months.Currently, he has six textile conservation interns from Mexico City working with him.I told him about the many fine textile schools and programs that we have in Philadelphia and expressed a hope that there could be a connection made with the museum in Oaxaca- he was very enthusiastic about the idea.He took me into the storage area where we spoke about different methods of conserving and preserving textiles and about my previous sabbatical experience at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the incredible costume and textile collection there.Hector showed me a very unique piece that he had recently restored and wrote a book about- a fragment of a late 18th. century huipile that had down feathers woven into it.As it was such a unique piece, he could only gather from other historic references that it was part of a wedding costume.With Eric's help, they had great difficulty finding anyone would could still spin thread as finely as was needed.
Currently there are about 4,000 objects in the museum's collection and there are renovations being made on another building for the foreseeable future need for extra storage space.
Hector told me there are tentative plan for the 2011 NATCC (North American Textile Conservation Conference) to be held here at the Museo Textil de Oaxaca.
The next exhibition( the above pieces that are being worked are) is a look at animals in textiles.I also had the opportunity to meet the museum's director, Lic. Ana Paula Fuentes Quintana, a very lively woman who managed to speak with me ,answer her cellphone and e-mail, all with great charm.
I was very grateful to Eric and everyone at the museum for their time and the opportunity to see behind the scenes.
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