Textile collection going on display

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BROOKINGS – “Indonesia: A Story Written by the Canting” is a new exhibition, put together by the Department of Consumer Sciences. It’ll be on display in Wagner Hall next week.

The exhibit will display fabrics donated by Elizabeth Berg, wife of Sherwood Berg ’47, who was the South Dakota State University president from 1975 to 1984. She collected a variety of traditional Indonesian batiks when she worked alongside her husband during his time as director of the Indonesia Project of the Midwest University Consortium for International Affairs. They lived in Indonesia during the project. 

Canting batik is a traditional Indonesian tool, used to apply wax in different patterns on cloth. The wax served as a barrier, resisting color while being dyed, leaving white patterns or whatever color the cloth was dyed before wax was applied.

Ancient and modern prints are in the exhibit, being exhibited to the public for the first time.

The large majority of the collection was recently donated by Elizabeth Berg to SDSU’s historic costume collection.

The exhibit will be on display in the Van Zante Gallery within Wagner Hall, Room 222, on the SDSU campus. The exhibit is open to the public from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 24-28.