Beginning in 1974 with a gift from Kate Fowler Merle-Smith, the Allentown Art Museum has amassed one of the best collections of textiles in the United States. This tour offers woven and embroidered textiles from very different cultures in Europe, Asia and Africa all in close proximity to the Mediterranean Sea. These exquisite examples are associated with marriage and homemaking. They were almost certainly made by women.

Classroom Activities
As items in this mini-tour illustrate, clothing is both a basic need and a form of expression. Have students examine their own clothing piece by piece. Which parts of their clothing are necessities and which are forms of expression?

Have students choose a textile and list all of the different plants, animals, and people required to make it.

Many of these items are in excellent condition because they were well cared for and rarely worn. Have students research preservation methods for textiles and choose a piece of clothing from their culture to preserve for the future.

Have students study the objects on this mini tour and discuss the role gender plays in each object's use and manufacture. How does gender affect textile design today?

Each of the objects in this theme was designed for a purpose: parts of wedding costumes, a special occasion head wrap, a pillow cover, the background for a love poem. Have students create their own designs for one of these uses. What would it take to have their design manufactured?

Ask students to imagine what one of these textiles would look like if it were made of a different material, like stainless steel, water, or chocolate. Have them draw their answers.