Special Exhibits and Programs 2024 SPECIAL EXHIBIT: The Global Language of Headwear: Cultural Identity, Rites of Passage, and Spirituality July 5 - September 27, 2024 at the Havilah Beardsley House |
Ruthmere is hosting a traveling exhibit this summer from International Arts & Artists!
The Global Language of Headwear: Cultural Identity, Rites of Passage, and Spirituality presents 89 hats and headdresses carefully selected from a private collection of more than 1300 extraordinary pieces of international headwear.
This exhibition features hats from 42 countries across Asia, Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and North and South America, and is a tribute to the stunning diversity of the world’s cultures. With a few exceptions, the pieces are from the mid-to-late 20th century, and many are still worn today in parts of the world for revelry, ritual, and the rhythms of everyday life. More than utilitarian objects of material culture, each hat is a unique work of art—not merely because of the skill required to make it, but also as a singular expression of creativity and cultural meaning.
The profusion of shapes, styles, and materials, as well as the ingenious use of embellishments to decorate the hats, are limited only by imagination. The Global Language of Headwear is organized into five thematic sections: Cultural Identity; Power; Prestige and Status; Ceremonies and Celebrations; Spiritual Beliefs; and Protection. Hats and headdresses communicate timeless ideas—not only of beauty, but also of what it means to be human.
Naga Helmet, India, mid-20th century, cane, dyed goat hair, boar tusks ©2012 Courtesy of Hat Horizons, Photograph by Matthew Hillman |
©2012 Courtesy of Hat Horizons, Photograph by Matthew Hillman |
©2012 Courtesy of Hat Horizons, Photograph by Matthew Hillman |
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Huichol Shaman’s Hat (Rupurero), Mexico, mid-20th century, palm leaves, feathers, beads, velvet, yarn
Thunderbolt Crown, Tibet, early 20thRelated Special Events
PRESENTATION Thursday, July 11th, 2024 at 11:00 am "What Hat is That? A Collector's Journey of Discovery" with Stacey Miller, owner of Hat Horizon and independent curator of ethnographic headwear |
LECTURE- CANCELLED
Thursday, August 8th, 2024 at 6:00 pm
"The Fabric of Faiths: How Headwear Makes Religion Real"
with Dr. John McCormack, Aurora University
International Arts & Artists in Washington, DC, is a nonprofit arts service organization dedicated to increasing cross-cultural understanding and exposure to the arts internationally, through exhibitions, programs and services to artists, arts institutions and the public. Visit ArtsandArtists.org.
The Global Language of Headwear: Cultural Identity, Rites of Passage, and Spirituality was jointly organized by Stacey W. Miller and International Arts & Artists, Washington, DC.
Sponsored in part by Steve and Julie Bachman.
This exhibit and related programs have been made possible through a grant from Indiana Humanities in cooperation with the National Endowment for the Humanities.
