From Pineapple to Pañuelo

In the 1800s and early 1900s, semitransparent textiles known as piña (made from pineapple leaf fibers) and abacá (woven from banana plant fibers) were particularly prized by elite Filipinos, later becoming popular souvenirs for European and American ethnographers and tourists. These lightweight fabrics, made into garments and accessories and then lavishly embroidered, are ideal for the hot, humid climate of the Philippines. This exhibition presents a selection of piña and abacá works from the RISD Museum’s collection, highlighting the complex production and high level of skill found in their weaving and embroidering.

Guest curated by Angela Hermano Crenshaw.

RISD Museum is supported by a grant from the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, through an appropriation by the Rhode Island General Assembly and a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, and with the generous partnership of the Rhode Island School of Design, its Board of Trustees, and Museum Governors.