Man's ceremonial shirt (camisa) c. 1955

This Man's ceremonial shirt, or camisa, lives at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. We don't know when it was made, but we know it was made by the Maya. Imagine the slow, deliberate act of weaving. It is almost like drawing lines, one after another, to create form, texture, and meaning. See the golden brown color, punctuated by delicate white lines creating the warp and weft. I wonder what it was like to weave this shirt? What was the maker thinking about as their hands moved, creating patterns? It's almost like painting – building up layers of meaning and intention, one thread at a time. There’s something deeply human about the handmade. I think about Anni Albers, whose weavings have the same linear quality as Agnes Martin's paintings. Or Sheila Hicks, whose weaving bursts with color. Each maker's mark builds upon the work of those who came before. They share an ongoing conversation about color, texture, and form. They explore different ways of seeing, thinking, and experiencing the world. And just like that, they invite us to look closely and imagine.