Explore the Collection

The Textile Museum of Canada’s collection consists of more than 15,000 objects including a salmon skin suit from China; 2,000 year old Nazca fragments from Peru; and a hooked rug by artist Florence Ryder (Standing Buffalo Reserve, Saskatchewan) that incorporates traditional Sioux designs.

While only a small percentage of our collection can be displayed in our galleries at once, our online collection allows you to access all 15,000+ objects from over 200 regions of the world, 24 hours a day! Explore some of our favourite textiles in the curated groups below or follow your own interests by searching or filtering the collection. Add your finds to ‘Today’s Favourites’ to create a group that you can download or share.

Explorez notre collection 

La collection du Textile Museum of Canada comprend plus de 15 000 objets, dont une veste chinoise en peau de saumon, des fragments textiles datant de 2 000 ans et tissés par les Nazcas du Pérou et un tapis au crochet de l’artiste Florence Ryder (réserve de Standing Buffalo, Saskatchewan) qui intègre des motifs traditionnels sioux.

Nos salles ne nous permettent hélas d’exposer qu’un tout un petit pourcentage de notre collection à la fois. Cependant, notre collection en ligne vous donne accès à plus de 15 000 objets provenant de plus de 200 régions du monde, et ce 24 heures par jour. Découvrez quelques-unes de nos pièces textiles préférées grâce aux sélections ci-dessous ou suivez le fil de vos idées grâce à notre système de recherche par mots-clés et par filtres.

Hanging

Sujnis have always been original works of art expressing the maker’s unique experience. Many sujnis reflect local life, but some exceptional examples address broader issues: this one, entitled “Bomb Blast,” was inspired by India’s 1998 atomic bomb tests in the Thar Desert, Rajasthan. The artist, Archana Kumari, had recently met craftspeople from the test area at a fair in Delhi. She created this design as a form of protest and to express her concern for their safety, and the safety of ordinary Indians and Pakistanis. The artist drew the design and four to six women did the stitching. Its 220 stitches per square inch is twice the normal ratio and took four to six months to complete. There are two rows of “bombs” in the centre, labelled India and Pakistan respectively. Above them are her friends in the Thar Desert – local people whose lives have been disrupted by the tests. The top row shows Muslim and Hindu women greeting each other and crying and talking – an expression of her wish that the bombs never be used between India and Pakistan. Below the bombs on the right are skyscrapers with people in the window, representing America, Japan and Russia. In the centre, a speaker addresses the Indian parliament; two people on the left hold hands in friendship. The centre field is framed by a line of stretchers with people on them, representing potential civilian casualties of nuclear war. But they have their eyes open, indicating they are not dead, and are thus an expression of the optimism of the artist. ADITHI is a non-profit organization working in Bihar State. It is primarily engaged in income-generating projects for poor rural women designed to empower them to take control of their economic well-being.

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