Pulkari Date Unknown

Editor: Here we have an undated "Pulkari," a textile crafted with silk and cotton, and currently housed at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Its red color gives me this very warm feeling but also looks quite old; what strikes you about it? Curator: The labor involved is really what jumps out at me. Consider the process: the sourcing of silk and cotton, the dyeing, the embroidery itself. Who made this? What was their life like? Pulkari textiles were traditionally made by women in the Punjab region of India, often for dowries or ceremonial occasions. Editor: So it wasn't just decorative? Curator: Decorative, yes, but also deeply functional within its original social context. It speaks volumes about the lives of the women who created and used these textiles. Each stitch embodies not only skill but also countless hours, stories, and social bonds within that community. Look closely, can you see irregularities that would suggest different stages in the process? Editor: I see slightly different stitching styles... How did this form of folk art become exhibited in museums? Curator: That’s an important question! The journey of "Pulkari" from functional craft to art object speaks to how tastes shift, and what social values get ascribed to what art form.. Our attention turns from utility to an abstracted 'beauty' while obscuring its material origins. It makes me question how we place value. Editor: So thinking about art as more than just an object. I'm learning a lot! I'll definitely look at textiles differently now, considering the hands and lives that shaped them. Curator: Precisely! Thinking critically about how material culture like this reflects human effort transforms the way you see not only art, but the world around you.