Panel c. 20th century

Curator: Standing before us is a textile work simply titled "Panel," estimated to be from the 20th century. The piece, currently housed here at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, showcases weaving using materials like silk, cotton, and other fibers. Editor: It’s immediately striking how visually complex and organized this piece is. The intense colors really draw you in and then your eyes want to travel along the different zones of woven symbols. Curator: Precisely. The patterns here are rich in symbolism. I'm immediately drawn to the stylized figures, aren't you? They appear to be human forms, repeated in a processional manner that carries across. Those types of repeating patterns evoke communal values and societal structures. Editor: I'm intrigued by the question of intended function. Was this created for ritual or ceremony? I suppose those little figures could refer to an important ancestor or a group of people participating in a seasonal tradition. It also appears so contemporary, I would guess its recent. Curator: Considering the era, around the 20th century, there may have been outside influence with that repetitive patterning that might echo Western aesthetic tastes, even if inadvertently. That gives a level of power because cultural heritage adapts through its materials. Editor: Absolutely. What speaks most clearly is the maker’s dedication and labor and all of the stories behind their craft. Each stitch reveals aspects of community values. I think it says so much about how textile arts transmit history, experience and imagination. Curator: On a different point, I am drawn to its geometry, its repeating chevrons, and angular meanders that provide the framework, it serves as the structure with figures moving about within these bands of the community and that creates a visual space of constant and shared existence. Editor: Looking at its composition, how patterns form meaning in cultural exchange or disruption and the intersection between the practical purpose and an intrinsic artistic merit. Curator: This "Panel" offers so many avenues of investigation, it serves as a potent reflection of social values of this particular time and culture, offering an invitation to explore layers of symbol and heritage. Editor: Indeed. I walked in thinking one thing, and am leaving pondering how tradition and labor can create something so beautiful and also thought provoking.