The Lynn Mecklenburg Textile Gallery provides a space dedicated to rotating exhibitions of the School of Human Ecology’s Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection, making the collection even more accessible to the public, including providing free admission to all.
In 2019, the Lynn Mecklenburg Textile Gallery was established as a place to host rotating exhibits with work from the Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection. Exhibitions can also include contemporary textiles by national and international makers, as well as non-textile objects presented in conversation with the textile collection.
Exhibitions at the textile gallery are curated by the Center for Design and Material Culture staff, faculty, and guest curators and are mounted throughout the academic year. This space features LED lighting and an intimate setting.
The gallery was made possible through generous donor support. Their philanthropy advances Professor Helen Louise Allen’s life work of promoting the knowledge and understanding of cultures through engagement with textiles and other material artifacts.
If you are interested in proposing an exhibition in the Lynn Mecklenburg Textile Gallery you can find more information here.
Gallery Hours
(during exhibitions):
Monday-Tuesday: closed
Wednesday: 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
Thursday: 10:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m.
Friday: 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
Saturday-Sunday: 12:00–4:00 p.m.
Contact:
608-262-1162
cdmc@sohe.wisc.edu
Upcoming
Remaking the Renaissance
Looking at key textile innovations in the era c.1400-1700, Remaking the Renaissance suggests that objects and their histories can be restored and recreated through conservation and research.
History of the Textile Gallery
Anticipating the 50th anniversary celebration of the Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection (HLATC) in 2019, Lynn Mecklenburg, Susan Engstrom and Jane Villa, three members of the HLATC Development Committee, provided the philanthropic leadership for a fundraising effort to create a dedicated textile gallery. Loyal HLATC donors, Sandra and Jack Winder, soon joined this effort. With additional funds from the estate of Kathleen “Katie” Orea Sweeney, the renovation of the Lynn Mecklenburg Reading Room to the Lynn Mecklenburg Textile Gallery commenced. Their collective dream for a space dedicated to featuring pieces from the HLATC stemmed from their love of textiles and the belief that textiles have a universal appeal, the power to tell stories of a shared humanity and cultural experiences.