Woman's skirt (Corte) 1940 - 1945

Curator: Here we have a "Woman's Skirt (Corte)", crafted between 1940 and 1945, now residing at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Editor: My initial impression is a calm stillness, which I didn’t expect from textile. The subtle pattern and almost muted color scheme feels like a quiet meditation. Curator: It's fascinating to consider the societal function of such a piece. Skirts like this were deeply embedded within the Indigenous cultures of the Americas, signaling identity and community allegiance. The weaving itself, the labor involved, it speaks volumes about the role of women and their place in producing material culture. Editor: Absolutely. Looking at this geometrically complex pattern I can only imagine the work hours involved in such a piece. It moves away from notions of craft as ‘lesser’ than art, toward thinking about skill, labour, process, and also the socio-political value embedded into that material culture of making this particular kind of weaving.. Curator: Think of the cultural transmission too. The repetition of specific patterns not just becomes decorative. It creates an immediate link to the historical and cultural memory in these textiles. The act of repeating these symbols cements them in cultural memory. Editor: And how the market and collecting institutions intersect with that history. Something intended for everyday use is transformed and presented within museum walls; how does that reposition its worth, you know? Does it strip away or add something? It feels almost melancholic thinking about how it was designed for use rather than display, yet, here we are… admiring it. Curator: The institutional shift inevitably recontextualizes its narrative and the viewers. This ‘corte’ now allows us to examine these traditions through a new perspective, maybe one that inspires a further material investigation. It certainly inspires contemplation around labor practices. Editor: It brings forth so much that the eye often forgets – not merely an image or shape but skill and heritage handed across, transforming material through labor. Curator: A vibrant reminder of silent but potent material legacy, one that goes beyond just mere visibility.