Woman's shawl made out of cotton and silk embroidered with red strawberries
Image Credit

Detail of Abochhini (woman's shawl), Thar Parkar, Indus River Delta region, Pakistan, before 1927. Cotton and silk with double chain stitch embroidery and mirrorwork (shisha); 78 x 51 in. Neusteter Textile Collection at the Denver Art Museum: Gift of Charles Winfred Douglas, 1953.29.

Weaving a Foundation

Cornerstones of the Textile Arts Collection
Now On View

Detail of Abochhini (woman's shawl), Thar Parkar, Indus River Delta region, Pakistan, before 1927. Cotton and silk with double chain stitch embroidery and mirrorwork (shisha); 78 x 51 in. Neusteter Textile Collection at the Denver Art Museum: Gift of Charles Winfred Douglas, 1953.29.

Weaving a Foundation: Cornerstones of the Textile Arts Collection features 60 objects from the museum’s collection, two-thirds of which have never been shown.

Throughout the Denver Art Museum’s history, textile arts have played a fundamental role in the development of its collecting philosophies and exhibition programs. The first textile entered the museum almost 100 years ago, and since that time, textile arts have been regular additions to the collection. Among the handful of early patrons, the Douglas Family of Evergreen, Colorado, emerged as the most steadfast donors of textiles. This exhibition highlights a selection of the family’s donations that demonstrates their celebration of traditional and living cultures and the value of exhibiting them together. 

Though the Douglas family’s commitment to the Native arts of North America is well documented, this exhibition reveals their interest in diverse world cultures and textile traditions. The eclectic presentation features textiles from Indigenous traditions across the world, including regions of the American Southwest and Mexico; India and Pakistan; and the Indonesian islands of Bali, Java, and Sumatra.

This exhibition is on view from February 25, 2024, through January 5, 2025.

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Martin Building, Level 6
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Red, black, and cream colored striped blanket designed by a Navajo artist

Navajo artist, Blanket, c. 1850s. Wool and dye; 73½ x 54 in. Denver Art Museum: Gift of C.W. Douglas, 1935.390

Vibrantly patterned wool blanket

Navajo artist, Dah’iistl’ó (Eyedazzler), about 1875–80. Dyed wool; 75 in. x 53 in. Denver Art Museum: Gift of F.H. Douglas, 1946.296

Mannequin displayng a traditional Romanian coat, embroidered with red colorful floral patterns

Coat, Romania, 1900. Silk embroidery, leather appliqué, and embossed patterns on sheepskin with silk tassels. Neusteter Textile Collection at the Denver Art Museum: Gift of Frederic H. Douglas, 1949.27.

Cotton and silk women's shawl embroidered with red floral patterns red strawberries and

Abochhini (woman's shawl), Thar Parkar, Indus River Delta region, Pakistan, before 1927. Cotton and silk with double chain stitch embroidery and mirrorwork (shisha); 78 x 51 in. Neusteter Textile Collection at the Denver Art Museum: Gift of Charles Winfred Douglas, 1953.29.

Moccasins made out of leather and beads with a bright blue patterned coloring on the outside

Cheyenne artist, Pair of moccasins, 1860's. Leather and beads; 10¾ x 5⅛ x 3⅜ in. Denver Art Museum: Gift of Frederic H. Douglas, 1954.169A-B

Large textile with repeating square patterns of black and dark red

Samoan artist, Tapa, before 1956. Painted bark cloth; 63 1.2 in. x 34 in. Denver Art Museum: Bequest of F.H. Douglas, 1956.302

Floral patterned large textile

Bedcover (colcha) or Hanging, Mexico, 1775–1825. Sabinilla (wool ground cloth) with wool and cotton crewel embroidery; 92 1/2 x 52 1/2 in. Neusteter Textile Collection at the Denver Art Museum: Gift of Mrs. Frederic H. Douglas, 1956.54.

Blue cotton and wool blanket with repeating red floral patterns

Cover or Room Divider, Armenia, 1800s. Cotton and wool worked in balance plain weave with satin stitch embroidery (altazlama); 52 1/2 x 64 in. Neusteter Textile Collection at the Denver Art Museum: Gift of Mrs. Frederic H. Douglas, 1959.120.

Indonesian cotton and hemp beige cloth

Hip Cloth (kamben), probably Buleleng, north Bali, Indonesia, late 1800s or early 1900s. Cotton and hemp with metallic thread worked in weft-faced plain weave with supplementary-weft patterning; 83 1/2 x 42 in. Neusteter Textile Collection at the Denver Art Museum: Gift of Mrs. Frederic H. Douglas, 1962.16.

Linen and wool blanket with repeating blue floral pattern

Coverlet, United States, about 1845. Linen and wool worked in overshot weave; 90 x 83 in. Neusteter Textile Collection at the Denver Art Museum: Gift of Mrs. Frederic H. Douglas, 1968.315.

Indonesian cotton sarong with repeating brown block and dot patterns

Sarong, Pekalongan, Java, Indonesia, about 1925. Cotton with wax-resist dyeing (batik); 95 1/4 x 41 in. Neusteter Textile Collection at the Denver Art Museum: Gift of Mrs. Frederic H. Douglas, 1973.291.

Tall and skinny cloth embroidered with large overlapping circular designs

Roen Hufford (Hawaiian), Mai Kahi Piko a Kahi Piko (Across the Generations), 2021. Pigment and barkcloth; 85 3/8 in. x 22 1/4 in. Denver Art Museum: Gift of Nancy Lake Benson; © Roen Hufford

Long silk red patterned cloth

Anteng (Shoulder Cloth), South Sumatra, Indonesia, 1900–25. Silk worked in plain weave with tie-dye (plangi) and stitch-resist dyeing (tritik); 88 x 33 in. Neusteter Textile Collection at the Denver Art Museum: Gift of Mrs. Frederic H. Douglas, 1957.54.

Cotton and silk red skirt panel

Bhanushali artist, Skirt Panel, West Kutch, Gujarat, India or Sindh region, Pakistan, late 1800s–early 1900s. Cotton with tie-dye (bandhani), silk cross-stitch embroidery, and mirrorwork (shisha); 32 x 162 in. Neusteter Textile Collection at the Denver Art Museum: Gift of Mrs. Frederic H. Douglas, 1962.10.

Inodensian red silk pattern overskirt

Kampuh (overskirt), Bali, Indonesia, early 1900s. Silk with weft-resist dyeing (ikat); 43 x 39 1/2 in. Neusteter Textile Collection at the Denver Art Museum: Gift of Mrs. Frederic H. Douglas, 1968.284.

Indoensian red and gray patterned silk cloth

Semawa artist, Kré Alang (skirt cloth), Sumbawa, Indonesia, about 1900. Cotton with metallic thread and foil strips with discontinuous supplementary warp-patterning; 70 x 50 in. Neusteter Textile Collection at the Denver Art Museum: Gift of Mrs. Frederic H. Douglas, 1973.263.

Black cotton designed cloth with panels of dragons and other iconography

Sapuan (Indonesian, born 1962), Galih Podo (Alam Batin), 2022. Cotton with wax-resist dyeing (batik); 50 x 106 in. Denver Art Museum: Textile Arts and Fashion acquisition funds, 2024.3. © Sapuan

Red cloth depicting scenes of people and animals

Rajji Rani Soni Singh for The Gondwana Art Project, Wall hanging (Village Scene), Punjab, India, 2023. Woven malkha cotton, embroidered with floss silks (phulkari); 39 x 35 1/2 in. Denver Art Museum: Textile Arts and Fashion acquisition funds, 2024.2. © Rajji Rani Soni Singh for The Gondwana Art Project

Detailed view of a bright red and swirling floral pattern

See more Textile Arts and Fashion

Artworks from this gallery are part of our Textile Arts and Fashion collection. Explore more objects from this collection online.

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Weaving a Foundation: Cornerstones of the Textile Arts Collection is organized by the Denver Art Museum and made possible with the support of the Avenir Foundation.

Additional support provided by the donors to the Annual Fund Leadership Campaign and the residents who support the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD). Promotional support is provided by 5280 Magazine and CBS Colorado.