[lace] Lace at Museums
Robin said, "Most people only know what they see for 25 cents/yard at Walmart. How can they appreciate lace with that as their only standard?" This is very true. Another problem with putting high quality lace in front of the public is that it is often the case that the curator may not have the knowledge to recognize what constitutes a good piece of lace. Since lace has been under appreciated, it is often happens that anything lace related is assigned to the youngest and most inexperienced person at the museum. Although the person may be enthusiastic and energetic in trying to do a good job, she or he, may not have any idea how to approach the task. There is a tendency then, to select a piece that is in good condition and has a dramatic figural design. Quite often this results in a piece of machine made lace, or a 19th century piece being put on display, rather than one dating from the early 18th century which might have more exquisite workmanship. I was interested to see at the Flagler that an attempt was made to balance the dramatic laces of the 19th century with pieces of more exquisite workmanship from the 18th century, and the 17th century. The Flagler also had some parasols, and baby garments on display which I found to be absolutely uninteresting from a lace standpoint, but the public seemed to gravitate to them. So, as Arlene points out, what do people choose to look at? Are there stages of lace appreciation, such that a person who is interested in a parasol, then progresses to being interested in a dramatic 19th century piece that is in good condition, and then progresses to going berserk over a fragment that has millions of minute buttonhole stitches in it that would be dismissed as a rag by most people? Early in the process, a lace dealer that I know told me that she puts a piece of dramatic Battenberg out in a prominent place in her booth and that people are drawn to the booth by it. She suggested that I do something like that with the exhibit, to draw people into the room. I think she was afraid that I would put out only the exquisite little pieces that I like, but that would miss the mark for 99% of the viewers and that no one would even enter the room. Interestingly, when people who are not already lace people tell me their favorite piece from the exhibit, it is always the 19th century copy of Gros Point made by the Central Lace School in Austria. It is very dramatic and has three dimensional petals on it. It has exquisite workmanship on it, although not more than the other pieces in my opinion. But it really hits you in the eye. Devon - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/
[lace] Lace at museums.
I was one of the lucky ones who was on the American History tour at the IOLI convention last year. The afternoon drooling over their lace collection was one of the highlights of my USA trip! So Karen - a Big thank you to the people who organized that viewing, and the presentation plus the folders full of information that we each were given to bring home. Linda, I am glad to hear the Rocky Mts Lace Guild are working with the Museum Textiles section and hopefully you will be successful and get a permanent display. Having seen a few pieces they have (at the IOLI convention Exhibition in 2005) I can only imagine what else they must have hidden away. Best wishes for your success in this venture. Regards from Liz in very hot, dry, Melbourne, Oz. lizl...@bigpond.com - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/
Re: [lace] Lace at Museums
dmt11h...@aol.com wrote: In fact, one of the most gratifying things has been to see younger people who are seeing museum quality lace for the first time and are amazed at the artistry and craftsmanship. It has been very enjoyable to see people viewing the exhibit and becoming excited about something they had never seen before. Devon has a point. Most people only know what they see for 25 cents/yard at Walmart. How can they appreciate lace with that as their only standard? Robin P. Los Angeles, California, USA robinl...@socal.rr.com - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/
[lace] Lace at museums
Museums abound for all sorts of things. Art and history are the most prominent. Art, in my opinion, includes lace. The thing about the average art museum is that those who go there have acquired an education about what is standing there, and what is hanging on the walls. Art history courses can be a requirement in college. Or your husband/mother/father/girlfriend is interested in art and educated you when you went to museums. Or you read the numerous art history/criticism books available today. We always get the audioguide for any museum we go to in order to understand why a particular painting is hanging on the wall. Seeing that a picture is pretty is nice, but that doesn’t even scratch the surface of the meaning of a true work of art. Knowing about art history and painting in general enhances the appreciation of a particular picture. Lace in a museum suffers from the ignorance of the viewers, and the way it is presented. Most people who look at lace have little or no comprehension of why this particular piece of lace is there. And indeed, in the museums I have seen, with the possible exception of the present exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the piece of lace is presented, but there is no explanation as to why it should be in a museum. No explanation as to the style of lace, where it was or probably was made, the statistics about that piece, the history of that particular type of lace, where the piece has been, if that is known. The erroneous assumption is made that the person will know why this piece of lace is in a museum and thus will be able to truly appreciate it. People in general, especially in the United States, do not understand lace, do not know its history, do not know why it is special. When planning a museum exhibit of lace, this must be considered, explanations must be presented as to why it is there, much more than the explanations about the paintings, because the general public knows a lot more about painting than it does about lace. Lyn in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA, reveling in a Pennsylvania winter, as opposed to the dismal, dreary, dark Christmas in Goteborg, Sweden. Pennsylvania has bright sunny days, days without wind and rain. And 4 more hours of daylight in the middle of winter. - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/
[lace] Lace at Museums
I am glad that Arlene enjoyed the lace exhibit, Gems of European Lace: ca. 1600-1920 which will be closing on January 13. In answer to the question about lace being on display in museums, as Lace Study Editor of the Bulletin (International Organization of Lace) I always have my ear to the ground about sightings of lace in museums, and am eager to hear about them. There is lace on display at the Isabella Stewart Gardiner Museum in Boston. Unfortunately it is positioned so far behind a velvet cord that it is hard to appreciate it, while other pieces are actually positioned in a case that you cannot see at all due to the cord. Isabella Stewart Gardiner left a very restrictive will that required the museum not change anything, which is probably why the lace is even on display. However, the museum was built in the early 20th century when, I suppose, you would allow visitors to go into tight little alcoves to look at lace. Now, that would be unmanageable from a crowd control aspect, so the lace is there, but the cord keeps you from seeing it. The Flagler has some very high quality lace on display which fills a small room. I admire them for putting it there. I think it must have been researched largely from books, as there are some minor things that I would argue about on the labels. But overall, a noble effort. It is nicely presented in high quality cases and you can really see it. It is accompanied by interesting story boards on the walls. Then there are the Lace Museum in Sunnyvale and the one at the Kliot store, Lacis. But one would have to already know one wanted to see lace to go there. It would not be a case of discovering it. As Karen says, there are conservation issues with light exposure. But you don't see the Smithsonian keeping the dresses of the First Ladies in storage to preserve them, and they are as fragile, if not more so, than the lace. I think the largest issue is that interest in various things in museums go in cycles, and lace has been out of fashion in curatorial circles in the US for a while. The 1920s was an era when no self respecting museum would be without a lace collection. But we have been in a prolonged downswing since then. It is no accident that the only lace on display in a non-lace museum occurs in one where the items on display haven't changed in a century (Isabella Stewart Gardiner) and one that glorifies the Gilded Age (Flagler). But, how does one create a new era of lace interest such as the 1920s when there is so little lace on display for people to become interested in? As my husband says, people wouldn't be interested in dinosaur bones if they were all kept in boxes, rather than mounted in the Natural History Museum. Many people have told me, in reference to the exhibit at the Met that they didn't know that lace could be like that. In fact, one of the most gratifying things has been to see younger people who are seeing museum quality lace for the first time and are amazed at the artistry and craftsmanship. It has been very enjoyable to see people viewing the exhibit and becoming excited about something they had never seen before. Arlene has raised some very interesting questions. Devon - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/
[lace] lace at museums
Hello, all - A few days ago, I finally took advantage of my relative proximity to New York City to go see the Gems of European Lace exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This opened back in the summer and I know was mentioned here on this list at that time. In addition, Jeri posted a thoughtful review after her own visit in November. For those interested, here is the link to the exhibit's website: http://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2012/european-lace It closes on January 13th, so there are precious few days to go see it in person if you are able. I'm posting now for two reasons: one, to publicly thank Devon and anyone else on this list who may have been involved with making this exhibit happen, as well as Jeri for her further information, which I did print out and bring with me (as she had suggested). The second reason for this message is about my wandering thoughts since this visit. Before I went, I searched "lace" on the Met's collection website and made note of what was listed "on view." In addition to the pieces in this exhibit and the inevitable paintings and such with the word lace in their descriptions, I found four lace pieces on display in other permanent galleries in the museum. Once there, I did go and find those pieces. Perhaps regular Met goers could clarify this, but they seemed to be in places where they were on display "permanently" - i.e. European decorative arts galleries, in a case with other objects. None were particularly close to the glass or easy to study in person. As mentioned by others, the Met's collections on line have great zooming qualities and I was able to see these pieces better, so to speak, on my computer. But, still, I greatly appreciated that a typical visitor through the museum could have some encounter with lace, no matter how small the scale (four pieces, not counting the special one gallery exhibit closing next week, spread throughout that great giant of a museum.) It got me wondering whether there is any lace on display on a regular basis in any other museum in the US. I'm not talking about any special exhibit, nor am I referring to collections that could only be seen by researchers and by appointment. I just mean being able to encounter it in some casual way, that a visitor might stop and take a second look. I did a lot of people watching in the museum and it is interesting to see what people spend lots of time staring at and being with and what gets brushed aside with a quick walk through. And, of course, everyone is different in their interests and their likes. I couldn't tell you off the top of my head what else was in the case with the two lace pieces in gallery 503, because I simply do not remember. Not where my eye was focused. But, there were other moments in the museum when I DID focus my eye on new things or new directions that I hadn't realized would appeal - not until I encountered that particular piece or object or painting. Anyway, I got myself off on quite a tangent over the last few days - googling museums in the US, getting the sense of how much of their collection is or is not online, whether their search feature has an "item on view" button to narrow your search. All I can say is that I couldn't find any museum that apparently had a piece of lace on view somewhere. That's not to say that it doesn't exist - I just may not be able to get that info via the websites. In particular, I was interested in the some of the museums of tours of recent Conventions, knowing that they had lace collections (Minneapolis Museum of Art, Baltimore Museum of Art, National Museum of American History, etc.) So, here is the guts of my question: do you know of any lace on display in a "permanent" sort of way in any major museum in the US? Even if it is just one or two pieces? I imagine that there are likely many answers to this question in European countries, but how about in the states? An off shoot of this, perhaps provoking some responses to this posting, is some of the old postings I found when I originally searched the Arachne archives to find Jeri's review of the exhibit. Whatever search terms I put in gave me some wonderful emails to read through from some years back, I think when the Ratti Textile Center at the Met first opened, and comments made by many about what types of exhibits draw the crowds into the museums and how museums make the decisions of what to put on display to get those crowds. Sadly, lace seems pretty low on the list. For those who have made it through this long post, thanks for reading! arlene in NJ - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/
