"Writing with Thread: Traditional Textiles of Southwest Chinese minorities"
at the Chazen Museum
at the Chazen Museum
by Susan Day
“Writing with Thread: Traditional Textiles of Southwest Chinese Minorities” offers a visual feast of exquisitely designed
costumes from southwest China, a region of rich river systems and complex topography that is inhabited by 31 of the country’s
56 minority ethnic groups. The 500 examples of rare and historically significant clothing, jewelry, and silver ornaments,
created by 15 ethnic groups and nearly 100 subgroups, are being shown in the continental United States for the first time.
Writing with Thread represents one of the most outstanding collections of southwest Chinese minority costumes in the world,
and the best to ever be presented in the United States. We are lucky to have it in Wisconsin,” says Tom Klobe, director
emeritus of the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa Art Gallery.
“Writing with Thread: Traditional Textiles of Southwest Chinese Minorities” offers a visual feast of exquisitely designed
costumes from southwest China, a region of rich river systems and complex topography that is inhabited by 31 of the country’s
56 minority ethnic groups. The 500 examples of rare and historically significant clothing, jewelry, and silver ornaments,
created by 15 ethnic groups and nearly 100 subgroups, are being shown in the continental United States for the first time.
Writing with Thread represents one of the most outstanding collections of southwest Chinese minority costumes in the world,
and the best to ever be presented in the United States. We are lucky to have it in Wisconsin,” says Tom Klobe, director
emeritus of the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa Art Gallery.
The exhibition showcases the superb techniques, designs, and craftsmanship of 15 minority groups including the Jingpo, Maonan, Miao (Hmong), Yi,
Dong, Tujia, Shui, Zhuang, Dai, Buyi, Yao, Hani, Gelao, Li, and Zang. Entire ensembles of women’s, men’s and children’s regalia, baby carriers, quilt covers,
festive and religious vestments, silver jewelry, embroidered silk valences, and wax-resist dyed curtains will be on view, as well as a loom, weaving tools, and
embroidery cases.
Writing with Thread explores the cultural messages associated with the production and use of indigenous clothing. In societies without written languages,
traditions and customs are passed orally from generation to generation. The textiles and silver ornaments complement a group’s oral traditions, recording and
transmitting ideas and concepts of ethnic identity, revealing variations in origin myths, heroic combats, communal memories, and wish fulfillment.
The craftsmanship and costumes also serve important social functions. According to Klobe, many are worn for festivals. Miao courting costumes, in
particular, represent the pinnacle of needlecraft. Girls learn to embroider from the age of 4 or 5, and take part in courting rituals at around age 13. The
quality of their embroidery is more important to gaining a husband than is their beauty. The amount of silver on the costume displays the family’s wealth and
is also important. Yet the remote villages are feeling the influence of the modern world and values are changing. Young women would rather get an
education than learn embroidery. The Miao still value their textile designs, but production is changing from individually handmade one-of-a-kind pieces to
mass or mechanically produced textiles and jewelry.
The costumes in this exhibition are from the late-nineteenth through mid-twentieth centuries. As the world changes, so do art forms, and opportunities to
see work of this quality are rare. Russell Panczenko, director of the Chazen Museum of Art, says this is exactly why museums are important. Cultures and
values change, but exquisitely created objects can be preserved for future generations to see. They can be a window on a time, place, and culture that has
changed or even vanished.
In the decades following the Vietnam War, the Hmong of Laos have settled in the United States as refugees, many in Wisconsin and Minnesota, bringing
traditions of needlecraft and storytelling with them. “Although they are refugees from a remote region, community awareness has grown as people study
Hmong culture and history. Writing with Thread will enhance Hmong cultural understanding and help shape self-identity.”— Mai Zong Vue, Hmong storyteller,
restaurateur, and local community leader.
Writing with Thread: Traditional Textiles of Southwest Chinese Minorities was organized by the University of Hawai‘i Art Gallery and the Evergrand Art
Museum, Taoyuan, Taiwan and is supported by the University of Hawai‘i at Mänoa Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Education, John
Young Foundation, Blakemore Foundation, Hawai‘i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts through appropriations from the Legislature of the State of Hawai
‘i and the National Endowment for the Arts, Joseph and Vera Zilber Family Foundation, University of Hawai‘i at Manoa Center for Chinese Studies/Confucius
Institute, Carolyn and Warren Luke, Blodwyn Goo Endowment, University of Hawai‘i Women’s Campus Club, Gulab and Indru Watumull Grant for Museum
Studies in the Arts, Commercial Data Systems, Wing Tek Lum and Chee Ping Lee Lum, and private contributions.
Generous local support for this exhibition has been provided by the Chazen Museum of Art Council, Hilldale Fund, The Great Dane Pub & Brewing Co.,
UW Health, Group Health Cooperative, Executive Management, Inc., Taste of Asia, and Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the
National Endowment for the Arts.
Exhibition-related Events
Thursday January 29, 5:30 p.m. Lecture by Huang Ying-feng, independent scholar and collector of Chinese minority costumes, Director of the Evergrand
Museum in Taoyuan, Taiwan, and curatorial advisor for Writing with Thread.
Friday January 30, 6 p.m. Curator Lecture: “Writing with Thread: Idea to Implementation,” by Angela Sheng, professor of Chinese Art History, McMaster
University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Friday January 30, 7 p.m. Opening reception with performances by the Hmong Qej Players and Hmong Sisters dance group, refreshments catered by Taste
of Asia, and a cash bar.
Saturday January 31, 1:30 p.m.-gallery walk of Writing with Thread. Textiles led by curator Angela Sheng and collector Huang Ying-feng
Sunday February 1, 2 p.m-a gallery walk of Writing with Thread led by Thomas Klobe, director emeritus of the University of Hawai‘i at Mänoa Art Gallery.
Thursday February 19, 5:30 p.m. -Environment and Material Culture: Textiles and Costumes of the Miao (Hmong) People in Guizhou, China,” lecture by
Japanese scholar Tomoko Torimaru, a specialist in the history and technology of traditional Chinese minority textiles.
Sunday February 22, 2 p.m.-“One Needle, One Thread: Miao (Hmong) Embroidery and Fabric Piecework from Guizhou, China,” lecture by Tomoko Torimaru.
F
AMILY DAY - Tradition and Technique: A Celebration of Hmong Culture-Saturday March 28, 12–4 p.m. An afternoon of activities and performances for the
whole family. Children under 12 should be accompanied by an adult.
Sunday March 29, 2:30 p.m.-Gallery tour with Mary Ann Fitzgerald, Chazen Exhibition Coordinator, and textiles specialist.
Weekends, February 7 through exhibition closing, 12:30–4:45 p.m. Docents-on-Duty to answer questions and present mini-tours.
Dong, Tujia, Shui, Zhuang, Dai, Buyi, Yao, Hani, Gelao, Li, and Zang. Entire ensembles of women’s, men’s and children’s regalia, baby carriers, quilt covers,
festive and religious vestments, silver jewelry, embroidered silk valences, and wax-resist dyed curtains will be on view, as well as a loom, weaving tools, and
embroidery cases.
Writing with Thread explores the cultural messages associated with the production and use of indigenous clothing. In societies without written languages,
traditions and customs are passed orally from generation to generation. The textiles and silver ornaments complement a group’s oral traditions, recording and
transmitting ideas and concepts of ethnic identity, revealing variations in origin myths, heroic combats, communal memories, and wish fulfillment.
The craftsmanship and costumes also serve important social functions. According to Klobe, many are worn for festivals. Miao courting costumes, in
particular, represent the pinnacle of needlecraft. Girls learn to embroider from the age of 4 or 5, and take part in courting rituals at around age 13. The
quality of their embroidery is more important to gaining a husband than is their beauty. The amount of silver on the costume displays the family’s wealth and
is also important. Yet the remote villages are feeling the influence of the modern world and values are changing. Young women would rather get an
education than learn embroidery. The Miao still value their textile designs, but production is changing from individually handmade one-of-a-kind pieces to
mass or mechanically produced textiles and jewelry.
The costumes in this exhibition are from the late-nineteenth through mid-twentieth centuries. As the world changes, so do art forms, and opportunities to
see work of this quality are rare. Russell Panczenko, director of the Chazen Museum of Art, says this is exactly why museums are important. Cultures and
values change, but exquisitely created objects can be preserved for future generations to see. They can be a window on a time, place, and culture that has
changed or even vanished.
In the decades following the Vietnam War, the Hmong of Laos have settled in the United States as refugees, many in Wisconsin and Minnesota, bringing
traditions of needlecraft and storytelling with them. “Although they are refugees from a remote region, community awareness has grown as people study
Hmong culture and history. Writing with Thread will enhance Hmong cultural understanding and help shape self-identity.”— Mai Zong Vue, Hmong storyteller,
restaurateur, and local community leader.
Writing with Thread: Traditional Textiles of Southwest Chinese Minorities was organized by the University of Hawai‘i Art Gallery and the Evergrand Art
Museum, Taoyuan, Taiwan and is supported by the University of Hawai‘i at Mänoa Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Education, John
Young Foundation, Blakemore Foundation, Hawai‘i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts through appropriations from the Legislature of the State of Hawai
‘i and the National Endowment for the Arts, Joseph and Vera Zilber Family Foundation, University of Hawai‘i at Manoa Center for Chinese Studies/Confucius
Institute, Carolyn and Warren Luke, Blodwyn Goo Endowment, University of Hawai‘i Women’s Campus Club, Gulab and Indru Watumull Grant for Museum
Studies in the Arts, Commercial Data Systems, Wing Tek Lum and Chee Ping Lee Lum, and private contributions.
Generous local support for this exhibition has been provided by the Chazen Museum of Art Council, Hilldale Fund, The Great Dane Pub & Brewing Co.,
UW Health, Group Health Cooperative, Executive Management, Inc., Taste of Asia, and Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the
National Endowment for the Arts.
Exhibition-related Events
Thursday January 29, 5:30 p.m. Lecture by Huang Ying-feng, independent scholar and collector of Chinese minority costumes, Director of the Evergrand
Museum in Taoyuan, Taiwan, and curatorial advisor for Writing with Thread.
Friday January 30, 6 p.m. Curator Lecture: “Writing with Thread: Idea to Implementation,” by Angela Sheng, professor of Chinese Art History, McMaster
University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Friday January 30, 7 p.m. Opening reception with performances by the Hmong Qej Players and Hmong Sisters dance group, refreshments catered by Taste
of Asia, and a cash bar.
Saturday January 31, 1:30 p.m.-gallery walk of Writing with Thread. Textiles led by curator Angela Sheng and collector Huang Ying-feng
Sunday February 1, 2 p.m-a gallery walk of Writing with Thread led by Thomas Klobe, director emeritus of the University of Hawai‘i at Mänoa Art Gallery.
Thursday February 19, 5:30 p.m. -Environment and Material Culture: Textiles and Costumes of the Miao (Hmong) People in Guizhou, China,” lecture by
Japanese scholar Tomoko Torimaru, a specialist in the history and technology of traditional Chinese minority textiles.
Sunday February 22, 2 p.m.-“One Needle, One Thread: Miao (Hmong) Embroidery and Fabric Piecework from Guizhou, China,” lecture by Tomoko Torimaru.
F
AMILY DAY - Tradition and Technique: A Celebration of Hmong Culture-Saturday March 28, 12–4 p.m. An afternoon of activities and performances for the
whole family. Children under 12 should be accompanied by an adult.
Sunday March 29, 2:30 p.m.-Gallery tour with Mary Ann Fitzgerald, Chazen Exhibition Coordinator, and textiles specialist.
Weekends, February 7 through exhibition closing, 12:30–4:45 p.m. Docents-on-Duty to answer questions and present mini-tours.
Some of the 500 or so traditional Chinese Minorities' textiles and clothing at the Chazen
Museum.
Museum.
