Afterlives: Material Stories from the Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection

media release: February 5 - May 11, 2025 | Lynn Mecklenburg Textile Gallery

Photo of a quilt section with a white background and colorful butterflies appliedOn view in February, Afterlives explores the many lives of objects and what happens to textiles after they enter the Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection. From a child’s feed sack dress lovingly crafted and then saved on a family farm to an intricate robe from Turkmenistan that traveled halfway around the world, material things carry traces of people and things through the past, present, and future in our Collection. Both poetic and practical, the exhibition explores what these treasures can teach us if we pay attention to their stories.

The opening reception for Afterlives will be Thursday, February 13 from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m.