One of the largest ethnic minorities in China, most Miao people live in the southern provinces of Guizhou, Hunan, and Yunnan. Like many cultures throughout Asia, Miao peoples employ textiles, clothing, and accessories to express their identity. For the Miao, elaborate festival costumes and silver adornments are the most important forms of visual art, and their embroidery and indigo-dyeing techniques are renowned. Clothing indicates the wearer’s age and marital status and marks important rites of passage. Traditional motifs record Miao history and beliefs, while decorative techniques, patterning, and stitches distinguish one group from another.

This exhibition features nearly 50 examples from Mia’s collection of more than 1,200 textiles and 450 pieces of jewelry made in the last century by Miao artists.