The Italian American Museum of Los Angeles (IAMLA) and the Italian Cultural Institute of Los Angeles are presenting the exhibition ‘Woven Lives: Exploring Women’s Needlework from the Italian Diaspora’.
The exhibition examines the significance of needlework in the lives of Italian American women, their families and communities, from the mid-19th century to the present. The exhibition reconsiders the role of needlework beyond its aesthetic value and utilitarian purposes and recognizes it as an extraordinary medium for expressing and preserving culture.
‘Woven Lives’ showcases a variety of handmade textiles created by Italian American women, from the most humble to the luxurious, items that were part of dowries and those that were fashioned for ceremonial and household use. Taken together, the needlework communicates the experiences, hopes, beliefs, and perspectives of the various generations of Italian American women who practiced the craft. Woven Lives illustrates how traditions survive, change, disappear, and reemerge in immigrant and transplanted communities and sheds greater light on the millions of Italian women who immigrated to the United States.
The exhibition will be open from January 29 to October 16, 2022 at IAMLA.
For more information go to iiclosangeles.esteri.it
