Featured
Field to Frock
June 23 - June 28, 2026
Two-Year Postdoctoral Fellowship in Design and Material Culture
Application Deadline: June 12, 2026
Frank Lloyd Wright Textiles in the Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection
Blogpost from Lily Adams on her research into textiles in the Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection
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.
Events
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Sep18
2026 Summer Fellowship Symposium @ 9:00 am - 12:00 pm Nancy Nicholas Hall
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 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