For Immediate Release:
Contact: Lois Frankenberger, publicist
978.470.0040
lfrankenberger@comcast.net
Tok wi Pasisir, c. 1920, 103 x 88 cm
Photo credit: Bernhard Schaub, Köln
EXHIBITION: Batik from Courts and Palaces:
The Rudolf Smend Collection AND Batik Fashion / American Style
DATES: Sat, May 7 - Sun, September 11, 2005
HOURS: Tuesday - Friday 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.;
Weekends 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.; closed Mondays and holidays.
PLACE: American Textile History Museum, 491 Dutton Street, Lowell, Mass.
ADMISSION: Free with general Museum admission: $8 adults; $6 students and seniors; free for Museum members and children under 6. Free parking. Free parking. Building is wheelchair accessible.
CALL: 978-441-0400 for exhibit and related events information.
LOWELL– From courts and palaces to American style, the extraordinary art of batik will be showcased in two special exhibitions opening May 7, 2005 at the American Textile History Museum in Lowell, Massachusetts.
The two new exhibits are titled Batik From Courts and Palaces: The Rudolf Smend Collection and Batik Fashion / American Style. Together they explore the rich style and color of batik from its traditional form to its ongoing influence on American contemporary fashion.
Batik From Courts and Palaces features over 35 historic pieces dating from the 1880s to the 1930s. They are on loan from German collector Rudolf G. Smend and include elaborate every day clothing with intricate patterns and color along with special ceremonial textiles created for the highly sophisticated royal courts of central Java and the export market in Sumatra.
“The complexity, color and sheer beauty of the pieces is a testament to the skilled hands of the Javanese batik artists and the high esteem in which their artistic creations were held by royalty,” said Diane Fagan Affleck, director of interpretation at ATHM.
Batik Fashion/American Style focuses on contemporary fashions by several American designers collaborating with Javanese batik artists. Designers featured include: Nicholas Schwaebe of Dunia, Nia Fliam (American) and Agus Ismoyo (Javanese) of Brahma Tirta Sari, Caroline Miksch of Cinnabar Blue, Mary Vaughn Williams and Rudy Huston of White Rice, and Lou Zeldis, Hoffman Fabrics and Nadya Collection.
This installation explores how the artistry of batik has influenced American style both in clothing and home décor. Over 25 pieces made of batik fabric are featured, including dresses and sportswear, shirts, scarves, bags, children’s clothing, and bed covers.
Leesa Hubbell, guest curator of the exhibition, says that Westerners who have made their way to Indonesia, “have found a culturally-charged community of batik experts—human repositories of technical knowledge—who regard the art of batik-making as a blessing passed down from their ancestors. They proudly use this knowledge to create prosperity and cultural value for themselves and their descendants—and for the American entrepreneurs with whom they collaborate.”
The exhibits are presented in connection with the June 7 – 15 World Batik Conference Boston 2005, the first convention in the United States that focuses on batik in its totality.
A catalog of the Smend collection, Batik: Javanese and Sumatran Batiks from Courts and Palaces, is available.
Special batik-themed activities for families with children ages 6 – 12 will run in the Museum’s Textile Learning Center (TLC) from May 7 through September 11.
There will be a preview of the new exhibits at a special Opening Party on Friday evening, May 6. For ticket information, please call 978-441-0400 ext. 246.
“We welcome the opportunity to host these extraordinary exhibits of fashion that carry the batik process forward in history and onto American soil,” said ATHM president and CEO Michael J. Smith.
The American Textile History Museum tells America’s story through the art, history and science of our textiles. Features include the permanent Textiles in America exhibition and children’s Textile Learning Center (TLC); Special Exhibition Gallery and TLC displays; and the Gazebo Cafe. Hours are Tuesday - Friday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; weekends 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed Mondays and holidays. Admission is $8 for adults; $6 for students, seniors and groups; free for children under 6 and Museum members. The Museum is located at 491 Dutton Street in Lowell,adjacent to the Lowell National Historical Park, 35 miles north of Boston off Route I-495. The building is wheelchair accessible, and parking is free. Telephone 978-441-0400. Web: www.athm.org.
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