Ruth Funk Center For Textile Arts Presents Cultural Highlights From The Permanent Collection

By  //  August 8, 2013

Event to take place Sept. 14 - Dec. 14

MELBOURNE, FLORIDA – The Ruth Funk Center for Textile Arts presents its new exhibition, Textiles & Culture: Highlights from the Permanent Collection,Sept. 14 – Dec. 14, in its galleries located on the campus of Florida Institute of Technology.  

Vest, Ruth Funk, 1998; Linen, raffia leaves, embroidered, cowrie shells, silk lining, 28” h x 24” w; Gift of Ruth Funk, 2010.09.07. Photo by Dominic Agostini.
Vest, Ruth Funk, 1998; Linen, raffia leaves, embroidered, cowrie shells, silk lining, 28” h x 24” w; Gift of Ruth Funk, 2010.09.07. Photo by Dominic Agostini.

Since its opening in August 2009, the Ruth Funk Center for Textile Arts has amassed a permanent collection of more than 1,000 objects.

These unique textile pieces and accessories reflect a collection dedicated to the promotion of fiber arts from across the centuries and around the world.

Highlighting the permanent collection are traditional handmade textiles, embroidery, garments and related accessories from Africa, Japan, India and Central Asia, Europe and North America.

Girl's Apron (Isipephetu), South Africa, Ndebele, 20th Century. Canvas, glass beads, fiber, 14 1/8"x 14 3/4". Gift of William and Norma Canelas Roth. 2007.13.03. Photo by Dominic Agostini.
Girl’s Apron (Isipephetu), South Africa, Ndebele, 20th Century. Canvas, glass beads, fiber, 14 1/8″x 14 3/4″. Gift of William and Norma Canelas Roth. 2007.13.03. Photo by Dominic Agostini.

Selections from this collection to be featured in “Textiles & Culture” include South African beadwork, Japanese Meiji-era kimonos, Central American embroidery and contemporary fiber art.

The Ruth Funk Center for Textile Arts is the only textile center in Florida and one of a handful in the United States.

The Center, which was created with the support of generous benefactor, Ruth Funk, preserves and displays an international collection of textiles through rotating public exhibitions and educational programs.

Regular hours for the center are Tuesday to Friday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday, from noon to 4 p.m. The center is located on campus in Melbourne at 150 W. University Blvd. Admission is free.

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