Nancy M. Bruce Center for Design and Material Culture

Photo of a woman with brown hair leaning over and touching a blue and white kimono on a white table.

Innovative approaches to teaching

Resources for instructors
Photo of a an open drawer with a large plate with an image of a woman on the surface.

Investigating the material world

Resources for researchers
Photo of an individual standing in front of an art installation with their back to the camera.

Creative expressions of research

See our current exhibitions

For students

For instructors

For researchers

Featured Exhibits & Events

Parallel Lines: Quilts and the American Landscape

September 3, 2025 - May 10, 2026
Lynn Mecklenburg Textile Gallery

Find Your Quilt

October 8, 2025 - March 1, 2026
Ruth Davis Design Gallery

2025 Ruth Ketterer Harris Lecture

November 14, 2025
2235, Nancy Nicholas Hall

About the Nancy M. Bruce Center for
Design and Material Culture

The Nancy M. Bruce Center for Design and Material Culture is the primary destination for the multi-disciplinary study of material culture and design at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The center focuses on the study of textiles, material culture, and design—our three pillars—and is a hub for innovative programs that engage local, national, and international audiences. The Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection, the Ruth Davis Design Gallery, and the Lynn Mecklenburg Textile Gallery support our work.

Read our mission

Events

more events...

Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection

The Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection is a teaching collection with over 13,000 textile artifacts spanning 22 centuries and 120 countries, making it one of the world’s largest university-held textile collections. Thousands of pieces from the collection are available for public study, loaned to outside exhibitions, and all objects are viewable online.

Explore the collection

Explore our Galleries

Ruth Davis Design Gallery

The Ruth Davis Design Gallery is an exhibition space focused on the processes and results of design. Exhibitions include national and international makers in addition to students from the School of Human Ecology's Design Studies department.

Lynn Mecklenburg Textile Gallery

The Lynn Mecklenburg Textile Gallery provides a space dedicated to rotating exhibitions of the School of Human Ecology's Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection.

Plan a visit

The galleries are open to the public during regular hours throughout the school year with occasional pop-up shows during the summer months. Check out our visit page for more info including hours, location, and how to schedule tours and collection visits.

The Nancy M. Bruce Center for Design and Material Culture is a hub for the study of textiles, design, and material culture—connecting our remarkable textile collection, UW–Madison’s innovative design research community, and the center’s leading material culture scholarship and exhibition program with students, scholars, makers, and community members from across Madison and around the world.

— Sarah Anne Carter, Chipstone Foundation Design and Material Culture Chair, Associate Professor of Design Studies, Executive Director of the Nancy M. Bruce Center for Design and Material Culture