2024 | Narrative Threads

_{This exhibition is organized by Goldstein Museum of Design curator Jean McElvain, PhD, with guest curator Kathleen Campbell, PhD.} 

_{Special thanks to subject advisors Cristin McKnight Sethi, director of education at the Textile Center, and Anita Gopalaswamy, owner of Studio Ruyee.}

_{The title treatment for this exhibition uses the typeface Soof Rangeela based on soof embroidery and developed by the Typecraft Initiative in New Delhi, India. In partnership with South Asian craftswomen, they teach design skills, create typefaces based on craft traditions, and spread awareness of these crafts and the people behind them.}

Thursday, September 12
5:00–8:00 PM
Opening reception with sounds by Matthew Rahaim
McNeal Hall

Friday, September 20
8:30–10 AM
GMD x CreativeMornings/Minneapolis
McNeal Hall

Saturday, October 12
8:00–9:30 PM
Ragas of India: Samarth Nagarkar Khayal Ensemble
MacPhail Center for Music

Tuesday, October 22
5:00–7:00 PM
In conversation: Anita Gopalaswamy and Rachel Breen
McNeal Hall

Wednesday, November 6
5:00–7:00 PM
Book launch with Textile Center: Judy Frater with artists Pachan Premji and Adil Khatri
McNeal Hall
 

Thursday, November 14
5:00–7:00 PM
Scholar talk: Cristin McKnight Sethi on phulkari
McNeal Hall

Over the past half-century, Donald Clay Johnson has applied his deep scholarly and personal interest in South Asia to the education and enjoyment of others. Indian textiles and cultural objects fill the surfaces of his home (where he delights in recounting their stories with visitors) as well as his countless classes and lectures for both students and public audiences. Some of the more than 1,000 textiles in his collection have been featured in two previous Goldstein exhibitions: Beyond Peacocks and Paisleys: Handcrafted Textiles of India and Its Neighbors (2011) and Global Technique, Local Pattern: Ikat Textiles (2017).

In 1966, while working as a faculty aid at Northern Illinois University’s Southeast Asian Library, Dr. Johnson was sent on a book buying trip to the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore. He took this opportunity to visit Nootan and Shailesh Parekh, close friends from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. They welcomed him into their family in Ahmedabad, which became his home base for a subsequent 28 trips to India. Since that time, his many local connections have helped guide his studies and acquisitions.

In addition to building his personal collection, Dr. Johnson amassed significant public resources as Librarian at the University of Minnesota’s Ames Library of South Asia from 1987 to 2008. In particular, his strengthening of that collection in the humanities as well as the social sciences helped establish UMN’s reputation as a resource for South Asian studies far beyond our campus.

A particularly impressive and enduring contribution is his publication Agile Hands and Creative Minds: A Bibliography of Textile Traditions in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka (2000). With more than 3,500 sources cited—some dating back to the 18th century—the volume affirms the primacy of textiles in South Asian cultures. It remains an invaluable resource for anyone exploring not only textile production in this region, but also their ties to international trade, regional economics, craft heritage and innovation, natural resources, religious expression, gender politics, social customs, family, and community.

Agile Hands and Creative Minds is included in this installation, as well as other examples of print sources from the Ames Library in sections corresponding to their subjects.

We are extremely grateful to Dr. Johnson for his generosity. As promised gifts to the Goldstein Museum, his unique collection will continue to enrich our teaching and programming with the vital support of the Donald Clay Johnson Paritosh Fund for South Asia.