Rug c. 20th century

Curator: Let's turn our attention to this "Rug," a textile work dating to the 20th century in the collection here at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Editor: Wow, okay, right away I'm feeling this deep sense of… tranquility. That deep indigo is incredibly soothing. It makes me want to curl up and meditate. Curator: The work definitely embodies aspects of the Pattern and Decoration movement, specifically when contrasted against folk-art elements from the United States. You'll see that geometric pattern at play across this rectangular surface of dyed threads of woven materials. Editor: The creation of such work fascinates me. Someone spent a considerable time crafting this; it is a beautiful thing of patience and careful labor and repetitive processes that produce objects for everyday use, to adorn a space that someone would use with the utmost care. Curator: Exactly! Each knot, each careful alignment… that’s an interaction with raw materiality that connects you across generations, I believe. Editor: You can trace it. All the way back to its rawest form. It's about transforming materials through knowledge, through labor, through necessity or whimsy. The dye processes… I would give anything to learn more about how they came about that beautiful color. Curator: The repeating motifs… the little diamonds anchoring those rows of staggered dashes... it speaks of rhythms in the earth and sky, maybe daily routines given form. It all feels like someone imbuing a piece with a deeply considered, perhaps sacred quality. Editor: To me, there’s no high or low art here. There is no fine art when we all live as the same human being with the same capacity for emotional connection. To create objects as intimate as rugs, something to touch or walk all over every day—the artist invested part of their soul to every knot, no doubt. Curator: So, it comes down to process—of bringing materiality from something elemental into our lives—a daily meditation, perhaps, if you will. Editor: Indeed! A tangible symbol of creative possibilities, where both the artwork and the hands that made it speak volumes of craft.