Belt c. 20th century

This woven belt, by an anonymous artist, now lives at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Look at the image of the belt and you can imagine the artist carefully threading the loom, choosing a simple palette of monochrome yarns. What was it like to make? What song was playing? I love to think about the physical act of weaving — each strand carefully laid, back and forth, building a pattern, a story, a solid, useful, durable thing. In this case, black and white threads make a stark rhythm across the surface with these intriguing, shadowy figures floating in the center. What are they? Birds? Mythical creatures? The artist's hand guides the shuttle through warp and weft, a dance of intention and chance. A movement, repeated again and again, until the belt takes shape. It's like a conversation, a collaboration between artist and material, a quiet hum of creativity. This belt invites us to reflect on the beauty of craft, on the stories woven into its very threads.