The Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection is a teaching collection with over 13,000 textile artifacts spanning 16 centuries and 108 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 more than 9,000 objects are viewable online.
The mission of the collection is to advance understanding of cultures and their history through engagement with textiles for the creative, technical, and educational benefit of scholars from UW–Madison and beyond.
Explore the Collection
Online Collection
Over 9,000 objects from the Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection available to view and study online.
Lynn Mecklenburg Textile Gallery
Rotating exhibitions of the Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection.
Group & Research Visit
Schedule a class, research, or group visit of the Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection.
Visit the Collection
Objects from the Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection are regularly on display in the Lynn Mecklenburg Textile Gallery during open gallery hours. Group and research visits to study objects from storage are welcome on a first come basis, with priority given to UW classes and scholars. Please complete the form below and a staff member will be in touch.
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Community Day
Once a semester, the collection staff host a Community Day where we lead behind-the-scene tours and share information about the collection. In addition, we offer a limited number of object viewing appointments with staff where members of the public can bring a personal textile to discuss with staff. Check out our event calendar for the next Community Day event to sign up for an object viewing appointment or behind-the-scenes tour.
On-Site Guidelines
To help preserve our one-of-a-kind collection, all pieces will be viewed in a chilled and environmentally-controlled space.
- Most textiles can be handled with clean or gloved hands under the discretion and supervision of staff
- Photography is welcome for study purposes only, without flash
- Beverages and food, including gum and lozenges, are not permitted
- Pens and markers are not allowed; use pencils instead
- Be sure not to allow hair, jewelry, or loose clothing to dangle over the objects
- Be careful not to lean on or rest hands or notebooks on the textiles
Contact
608-262-1162
hlatc@sohe.wisc.edu
Open for Scheduled Tours:
Monday-Friday by appointment
History of the Collection
The nucleus of the Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection was a bequest from the estate of UW–Madison Home Economics Professor Helen Louise Allen, who taught weaving, embroidery, textile history, and the history of interiors from 1927 until her death in 1968. During her career, she traveled and amassed a broad collection of approximately 4,000 textiles to support her teaching and research.
A pioneer in her field, Professor Allen was an early adopter of historical and anthropological perspectives in the study of the textile arts. For over 50 years the collection has been a tool for students at UW–Madison, as well as national and international researchers, historians, and artists. Professor Allen’s original vision to advance understanding of cultures and their history via the textile arts still remains at the heart of collection’s mission and continues to inspire future generations of artists and designers.
Professor Allen is also honored on the 100 Women Wall of Honor, a permanent art installation at the School of Human Ecology.
How to Donate to the Collection
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How can I support the collection?
Donor contributions enable the Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection to serve thousands of students, scholars, and visitors each year in our galleries, classrooms, and online. It’s visionaries like you who help us ensure the collection is available for generations to come.
For additional giving information, contact:
Mark Swenson, Associate Director of Development
608-419-3392
mark.swenson@supportuw.org
What is Adopt-a-Textile program?
When you choose a symbolic textile adoption, you generously support our conservation and preservation efforts. Every ‘adoption’ helps with ongoing care and enhance the student experience.
Adoptions are $10,000 each payable over five years but last into perpetuity.
To help make a difference, please contact:
Mark Swenson, Associate Director of Development
How can I donate an object to the collection?
The Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection is committed to a strategic, planned, and integrated approach to building the collection to serve current and future needs. Objects are only accepted as gifts or bequests and must meet all the standards of our collections policy, which adheres to our mission and helps direct its strengths. We prioritize objects that:
- Do not duplicate our current holdings
- Can be safely stored in our facilities, pose no safety hazards for staff or visitors, and are in good condition for research and exhibition
- Have verifiable record of authenticity and provenance (or history of ownership), and are legal to acquire
- Fulfill our mission and promote curricular, research, and/or exhibition needs
If you feel your objects meet the criteria, please complete the Object Donation Form.
Next steps
1. Once your request is received, we may contact you for additional information required by the collections committee. Often, research into legal issues or consultation with outside curatorial experts is necessary.
2. The collections committee assesses the object and makes a recommendation to the collections staff who, acting for the collection, reaches out to the prospective donor with the committee’s decision. The committee considers acquisitions twice annually; the end of the spring and fall academic semesters.
3. If the donation is a good fit for the collection, a formal acceptance is sent and arrangements for the transfer of ownership begin. The owner signs two copies of our Deed of Gift for signature; one to be returned to us and the other for the donor’s records. When Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection staff receives the completed Deed of Gift, shipping and transfer arrangements are made. Once an object is in our physical custody, the gift is completed.
Please note that our collections policy does not allow us to accept gifts with restrictions. Do not send or bring unsolicited objects to the collection as we do not have the capacity to store objects while they are being considered by the collection committee.
For additional questions, please email us at hlatc@sohe.wisc.edu.
Thank you for your interest in growing the Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection.
If you have any other questions in regards to donating to the Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection, please email hlatc@sohe.wisc.edu and we’ll be happy to help you.
The Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection is committed to a strategic, planned, and integrated approach to building the collection to serve current and future needs. To make certain that objects in the collection provide the most value to our teaching mission, we strategically review our collecting initiatives every three to five years with the guidance of our collections committee.
In 2021, the Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection was the proud recipient of a National Endowment for the Humanities Preservation Assistance Grant for Smaller Institutions. This award allowed the collection to continue to uphold excellent standards of care for the textiles in its permanent collection, enabling access for future generations of students, researchers, and textile enthusiasts.
