Walk by the large window displays on the first floor or Nancy Nicholas Hall, and you’ll see the current exhibit of large-print British textiles from the late 60s and early 70s. According to Natasha Thoreson, Curator and Collections Manager at SoHE, the bold prints represent the Avant Garde style popular at the time in London. Heal’s, a British furnishing store, used these three-dimensional looking prints in their windows to attract of passing customers.
Take a step inside the Mecklenburg Reading Room and you’ll see even more of these oversized prints on display. On the far wall, there are large white drawers holding more treasures from the Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection.
Pull out the draws to find the current exhibit of kimono fabrics from the collection. Thoreson points to two children kimonos s her favorites. One was donated by the daughter of past faculty member, Charles McCarthy. The small exhibit was a collaboration with Thoreson and Asian Languages and Cultures faculty member Charo D’Etcheverry.
The textiles on display in the drawers are rotated each semester, and the windows change about every 10-12 weeks. In the next few months, SoHE visitors can see textiles from the 60s exhibited in both the drawers and windows.