TUSCUMBIA-Buckskin to Broadcloth: The Changing Tide of Trade & Culture will be on display March 10 through May 10 at the Tennessee Valley Museum of Art, 511, N. Water St., Tuscumbia. The museum is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 1 to 3 p.m. on Sundays. Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for students. Sundays are free.
Buckskin to Broadcloth is an exhibition of typical 18th and 19th Century trade items including weapons, cookware, furs, fabrics, brass, silver, lace, glass beads and exquisite examples of Native American attire and adornment loaned to the Tennessee Valley Museum of Art by Doug Rodgers, retired University of Montevallo professor of history. Rodgers is an expert in the field of Native American studies and will present a gallery talk at 1:30 p.m. at the opening.
As trade increased, Native American apparel and embellishments shifted from the furs, fibers, pearl and bone found in the natural world, to goods such as calico, linen, lace, fringe, silver, brass and glass. Buckskin to Broadcloth demonstrates how the Southeastern Native American artistically and creatively adapted European trade goods to create new clothing, styles and original objects that reflected their own rich culture.
The TVMA’s Curator of Exhibitions and Director of Visual Arts Education, Mollie Schaefer-Thompson, has organized four workshops for the public during the exhibition. Embroidery workshops will be March 28 and April 25. The embroidery workshop is $15 and participants bring their own article of clothing to embellish. Workshops on April 11 and May 2 teach participants to use natural dyes to color fabric provided by the museum. The fee for the natural dyes workshop is $20.
“Workshops will be tied to visitor interaction with objects in the exhibition,” Schaefer-Thompson said. “Participants will take inspiration from the stunning handwork on display and create their own original works. Each person will develop a deeper appreciation for early Native Americans who adapted to a fast-changing society using new materials and techniques to create styles that are easily recognized as distinctively Southeastern.”
Buckskin to Broadcloth also includes admission to the Museum’s permanent exhibition of the Martin Petroglyph set in a replicated bluff shelter setting; the original Bandolier Strap that belonged to Chief George Colbert for whom Colbert County is named; an accurate reproduction of the Colbert Strap, duplicated by Doug Rodgers; original and prehistoric artifacts including deer hides, bear skins, porcupine quill embroidery, clay effigy pots, shell carvings, projectile points, stone tools and other materials showing native mastery.
“This exhibition examines some of the roots of Southern culture,” said Jim Berryman, Museum’s systems manager. “It highlights the interplay of survival, status and design. The native cultures highly valued artistry and mastery, whether in skills of war or in fine adornment. A man’s preeminence was reflected in the number of finely crafted items that were awarded to him as prizes of honor.”
Media Release/Bobby Bozeman, Marketing and program development/Tennessee Valley Art Association
