New exhibit features art of the Kuna people

Monday, June 10, 2013

 

New art exhibit now open 

The Gardiner Gallery at OSU will feature the exhibit "Molas: Applique Art of the Kuna People" (indigenous people of Panama and Colombia) through Aug. 2.

 While Molas are often called “traditional,” they have only been a part of Kuna culture since around the mid-1800s with the introduction of scissors and needles from the Spaniards. Before the arrival of the Spanish, the Kuna people decorated their bodies with geometric body paint. They would also paint the same types of designs on their underskirts that reached out beneath a knee-length dress and very quickly began to incorporate the geometric patterns into the molas or blouses.

Though the Kuna word “mola” is translated as a woman’s blouse, outside the Kuna culture, the term has begun to refer only to the two rectangle portions decorating the front and back panels of the shirt. These panels are created by reverse appliqué, which is a technique of needle work in which several layers of fabric are sewn together and then cut away to reveal the layers underneath. They use the same color thread as the fabric when making their nearly invisible stitches. While visually intriguing, the pieces also tell the story of a people and the impact felt by globalization

This exhibition is from objects in the OSU permanent collection of art.  These objects once belonged to the OSU Museum of Natural and Cultural History and are part of a vast collection of textiles, jewelry, and cultural objects that are now under the care of the OSUMA. All exhibitions and programs are free of charge to the community

The Gardiner Gallery is fully accessible and located on the first floor of the Bartlett Center for the Visual Arts at Knoblock near W. Elm Avenue in Stillwater. Gallery hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.  For more information, please call 405-744-4143 or visit: museum.okstate.edu or www.facebook.com/GardinerArtGallery.