Last Chance: Over/Under Woven Craft at Mingei International Museum

The words over and under call our attention to something spatial, inviting us to imagine a maker’s hands systematically working, weaving, transforming filaments of thread or grass, bark or wire, into something whole - a basket, a rug, a fish trap, a fan.


Image: Textile preservationist and weaver Sarah Winston with the indigo textile crafted for the exhibition, "Over/Under". Photo by Ron Kerner, courtesy of Mingei International Museum. Image above: Lidded Injera Basket, Ethiopia, Palm fiber raffia, Gift of Robert and Martha Baumberger, 1978-13-018A-B.

Woven crafts have been part of the human experience since our earliest beginnings. In some cultures, the skill of weaving is tied to a mythical teacher, such as a spider weaving its web. Woven objects continue to be made around the world as objects of use, and also as works of art to be contemplated for their beauty and technical mastery. 


Image: Rectangular Basket with Fabric Cover, Japan, Bamboo, cotton, Gift of Esther and Morgan Sinclaire, 2009-05-147.

Over/Under at Mingei International Museum features over seventy five works, including textiles, basketry, garments, hats, toys, jewellery, and more. Examples include giant fish traps from the Philippines, a Japanese silkworm basket and traditional woven rain boots, and Egyptian woven textiles. Local makers include Kumeyaay artist Eva Salazar, weaver Sarah Winston, and others.


Image: Boots (Zunbe), 20th Century, Japan, Palm, Gift of Esther and Morgan Sinclaire, 2009-05-111-A-B and 2009-05-112-A-B.

A major component of the exhibition is a large mural by San Diego artist Yomar Augusto, whose lyrical, linear paintings evoke woven forms. 

Find out more and see the exhibition before it closes on 10 March 2024:
mingei.org/exhibitions/over-under