| For more information about this article or gallery, please call the gallery phone number listed in the last line of the article, "For more info..." |
June Issue 2006
South Carolina State Museum in Columbia, SC, Presents Liberty Textile Collection
"Almost since the time when textiles were
first developed, different cultures have created them as works
of art as well as useful workaday items." The quote
is from the late Francis M. Hipp, textile collector and former
CEO of RBC Liberty Insurance, South Carolina's largest state-based
insurer.
In the 1960s and the 1970s Hipp purchased handmade textiles from
around the world, initially to decorate his large office building
in Greenville, SC. Rugs, saddlebags, ponchos, wraps, shawls, embroidered
panels and even quilts were purchased for the Liberty Textile
Collection.
What started out as one man's appreciation of textiles has developed
into a world class exhibit, A Common Thread: The Artistry and
Craftsmanship of Textiles from Around the World, which will
be on view at the South Carolina State Museum in Columbia, SC,
through Sept. 17, 2006. RBC Liberty contacted Chief Curator
of History Fritz Hamer with the idea of collaborating on an exhibit
of this unique collection, which has only once previously been
exhibited outside the company. "The fact that it's Liberty's
centennial anniversary this year made the timing more special,"
said Hamer.
The works range from early pre-Columbian pieces from Peru and Mexico to modern examples from Iran, Turkey, Indonesia and China. Hipp and his acquisition committee selected textiles that were colorful and showcased the workmanship of the weaver.
According to Hamer, "Having these examples of exceptionally fine textiles from the Liberty Textile Collection here at the State Museum is a natural fit, especially since the former Columbia Mills building where the museum is housed was originally a textile mill."
The exhibit includes approximately 29 pieces.
Not only will A Common Thread provide the opportunity for
museum guests to develop an appreciation of finely woven textiles,
but the exhibit also is a celebration of the company's longevity
and of its financial commitment in the fight to find a cure for
cancer.
The State Museum is the first stop of a possible tour of the exhibit. RBC
Liberty plans to use associated receptions at each venue to raise
funds for the Hollings Cancer Center, a leader in cancer medicine
which serves the state from Charleston, SC.
Says Hamer, "Guests will enjoy the skill, artistry and meticulous work all these pieces required. And what is so amazing is that they were all done using simple looms."
For more information check our SC Institutional
Gallery listings, call the Museum at 803/898-4921 or at (www.museum.state.sc.us).
Carolina Arts is published monthly by Shoestring Publishing
Company, a subsidiary of PSMG, Inc.
Copyright© 2006 by PSMG, Inc., which published Charleston
Arts from July 1987 - Dec. 1994 and South Carolina Arts
from Jan. 1995 - Dec. 1996. It also publishes Carolina Arts
Online, Copyright© 2006 by PSMG, Inc. All rights reserved
by PSMG, Inc. or by the authors of articles. Reproduction or use
without written permission is strictly prohibited. Carolina
Arts is available throughout North & South Carolina.