Man's Jacket c. 20th century

This ‘Man’s Jacket’ was made by a Hmong artist, and now it lives at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. When I look at the weaving on the sleeves, I can just picture the artist at work, shifting colors, and patterns, making the warp and weft sing. It's a conversation with thread. I get the sense that they are speaking through the cloth, each stitch a word, the entire garment a vibrant poem. I start to imagine how other artists have spoken through their work, how Sheila Hicks approaches sculpture and weaving as a tactile and deeply sensory experience. Textiles are such amazing objects. Each knot, each connection, is a kind of philosophy, a way of thinking about time, labor, and the stories we want to pass on.