Walking down S Street near Embassy Row, shouts of "Free Burma!" lure potential visitors toward the Textile Museum. Located next to the embassy of the Union of Myanmar, the impressive exterior of the John Russell Pope-designed building looks promising. Unfortunately, the protesters are likely to be the most exciting part of any trip to this museum.
The museum currently has only two exhibits open, the Activity Gallery and Textiles of Klimt's Vienna, though two more are set to open at the end of September.
The Textiles of Klimt's Vienna is the main draw at the museum right now. The title of the exhibit is deceptive. Visitors would expect the work of famous Art Nouveau painter Gustav Klimt to be somehow incorporated into the exhibit.
Klimt, known for the iconic painting "The Kiss," often seen on posters, magnets and T-shirts, frequently incorporated complex patterns into his works. It would be expected that somehow the exhibit would show similarities in style between these patterns and the patterns in the textiles, or at least detail how Klimt's life intertwined with the manufacturers' of the fabrics showcased. In reality, Klimt was barely referenced, instead used as a marker of a time period.
Textiles of the Vienna Secession would have been a more accurate name for the exhibit. The Wiener Werst?tte, an arts-and-crafts offshoot of the movement, created the textiles on display. Klimt was president of the Secession, and those who created the textiles displayed were associated with the movement as well, but the exhibit failed to show any real connection between the two. In reality, Klimt was no longer even a part of the movement by the time the Wiener Werkst?tte started creating fabric in 1905.
The fabrics in the exhibition were cheapened by the association with Klimt. It seemed as if the museum felt that the textiles it had could only be made significant by associating them with a well-known artist. This was unfair to the work that was on display. The work of the Vienna Secession is important on its own, outside of its connection with Klimt. Its effort to blur the lines between high and low art was truly influential.
An inkling of hope came from a print of Klimt's "Portrait of Frederike Maria Beer," hanging on one wall. Next to it was a plaque explaining that Beer's home incorporated Wiener Werkst?tte fabrics, as did many of her clothes, and that Klimt had chosen to showcase these fabrics in this painting. It almost seemed as if the curators thought this tidbit had been enough to create an entire exhibit around. It was not.
For the most part, small samples of textiles were poorly arranged in the tiny exhibit. The reasons behind groupings were often poorly explained. Small pictures showing how the textiles had been used accompanied some samples, but not nearly enough of them. The motivation and inspiration of the artists was barely addressed. Overall, it felt like something significant was on display, but the visitor would inevitably leave, struggling to know just what it was.
The Activity Gallery's purpose is part of the museum's overall goal to demonstrate "the extraordinary role textiles have played in the history and cultures of the world," as its brochure states. The room is meant to be interactive, and guests can try their hands at spinning and knot-tying, among other things. Unfortunately, this exhibit seems to be mainly geared toward children. Most visitors peeked into the room before shrugging and leaving.
By and large, the museum was a disappointment. As the museum's brochure states, "compared to other great art forms, the textile arts have remained underappreciated by all but a few." This museum does little to change this. It is a poor representation of what textile art can be.
The Textile Museum is located at 2320 S St., N.W. It is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free, but a $5 donation is suggested. More information can be found at its Web site, http://www.textilemuseum.org.
