Sample of Wall Covering c. 1928

Curator: Here we have a small textile work, Anni Albers' "Sample of Wall Covering," currently held at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It looks so tactile, almost domestic. The visible weave gives it a humble, approachable quality despite its potential function as a wall covering. Curator: Absolutely. Albers, trained at the Bauhaus, challenged the rigid boundaries between art and craft. The very idea of "wall covering" disrupts traditional notions of art's preciousness, nodding to the functional role textiles play, particularly for women. Editor: And what about the materiality? The choice of fibers, the way they're interlaced—these decisions determine the texture and, by extension, the social function. It speaks volumes about labor and the value we place on handmade versus mass-produced objects. Curator: Indeed. Albers understood the power of textiles to communicate social and political narratives, weaving together not just threads but also histories of gendered labor and artistic expression. Editor: Thinking about the context and Albers’ choices really shifts my initial perception. It's more than just a textile; it’s a subtle act of resistance.