Reinventing Tradition at the DOI

Throughout the summer the Department of the Interior Museum Gallery is featuring contemporary fashion by Native American designers. The exhibit features the work of 15 designers ranging from the 1950s thru the present. Their inspired uses of weaving, felting, beading, appliqué, silk screening, quilting, and tapestry weaving can get you thinking in a new way about the fiber arts.

Using elements of the past, the featured designers are imposing their traditional techniques and patterns on modern clothing. By combining the elements of the past with the norms of the modern culture a perfect melding of two can be seen playing with and against each other. Must see articles include the Twin Peaks poncho (2007), and its silk-screened animal motifs from the tribes of the north west coast.

Directly across the hall from this small exhibit are traditional Native American garments making a wonderful transition in time.

Hidden Treasure’s at the DOI

The gallery itself is the most important treasure here. The permanent collection features the many aspect of the Department of the Interior and the many ways in which they have shaped the United States. Galleries are filled with historic Native American garments, geological samples, archeological artifacts, and mapping tools.