Artisans in South Asia use a broad range of handcraft techniques to meet the apparel and home furnishing needs of consumers in India, surrounding nations, and around the world. The Goldstein Museum of Design exhibition Beyond Peacocks and Paisleys: Handcrafted textiles of India and its neighbors (June 11 to September 25, 2011) examined how techniques evolved over time as the producers discovered new markets and faced competition from international handcraft and industrial producers. The handcraft techniques include many types of embroidery, block printing, bandhani and lahariya varieties of tie-dye, and more.
The exhibition showcased saris, shawls, and home textiles collected over a 50 year period by Dr. Donald Clay Johnson, former curator of the Ames Library of South Asia at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Johnson began collecting during a yearÕs residence in India in the 1960Õs. He continues to expand the collectionÕs comprehensiveness in methods and regional design on annual trips to South Asia.