Weaving Sample 1932 - 1937

Curator: Here we have Otti Berger’s “Weaving Sample” from the Harvard Art Museums, a textile piece with dimensions that vary. Editor: It’s a vibrant, almost dizzying pattern of alternating red and blue. The diagonal lines give it a sense of movement, a visual rhythm. Curator: Woven textiles, like this sample, often carry coded visual languages specific to communities, signaling social status, origin, or belief systems. Editor: Absolutely, and it’s vital to consider the socio-political contexts. Textiles provided economic independence for women, yet the labor remains systematically undervalued. Curator: Indeed. Berger, like many Bauhaus women, faced professional marginalization despite her innovative weaving techniques and material experimentation. These symbols were largely overlooked. Editor: It serves as a powerful reminder that art is never created in a vacuum, and re-evaluating such pieces brings marginalized narratives into the spotlight. Curator: Seeing the symbols within weaving makes me reflect on how the ordinary and functional can hold unexpected layers of meaning. Editor: And for me, it underscores the importance of intersectional analyses in art history, revealing untold stories of gender, labor, and cultural memory.