Indigo is a familiar thread throughout textile history, making it a natural focus for this, the first exhibition of textiles from the SAM collection since Patterns of Fiber in 1980. The galleries will take the viewer on a journey through the historic scope and multiple meanings of indigo. A quilt-like stuffed kimono and futonji (bedding covers), along with two contemporary American quilts, will explore the art of sleeping. 

The museum’s magnificent set of Belgian tapestries that depict three continents will be unveiled after recent conservation, showcasing the anchor role that indigo has in igniting their unusual subject matter. Chinese silk court embroideries highlight blue as a symbol of leadership, while Japanese and African dyers often chose cotton to transmit the value of durability and steadfastness. How indigo can enhance power and yet also signify “blue collar” will also be revealed. To bring indigo up to the present, a wall quilt by contemporary American artist Anissa Mack combines the most common blue of all—the denim now worn world-wide—with a shape inspired by the famous opening title sequence from Star Wars. 

Above all, natural indigo is considered to be a demanding dye. Its unique chemistry requires mastering an elusive sequence of steps to make a temperamental infusion work. Some Japanese dyers caution that maintaining an indigo bath is as difficult as raising a child, and that success is not a matter of capability, but of personal humility. An indigo vat is treated as if it has a personality of its own, needing nutrients such as rice wine, honey, or rice bran to flower. It is said that when one feels unhappy, the indigo mirrors displeasure and refuses to behave. 

“Mood Indigo invites reflection on the natural prevalence of blue, this color that you see every day,” says Pamela McClusky, SAM’s Curator of Art of Africa and Oceania. “Blue sets a tone; it can conjure up states of melancholy, expressions of vitality, or the mystique of unknown depths. And the dedication required in working with this very unassuming-looking plant to make this incredible dye tells its own story: that of the importance of being in close alignment with the natural world.” 

This exhibition represents a collaboration among SAM curators and conservators, which reflects the ubiquity of indigo’s use across cultures. To put Mood Indigo together, lead curator Pamela McClusky, SAM’s Curator of Art of Africa and Oceania, worked with Barbara Brotherton, Curator of Native American Art; Ping Foong, Foster Foundation Curator of Chinese Art; Chiyo Ishikawa, Deputy Director and Curator for European Paintings; Xiaojin Wu, Curator of Japanese and Korean Art; and Blakemore Intern Lisa Mothersbaugh. Great efforts to coordinate preparation of the Belgian tapestries were led by Nicholas Dorman, SAM’s Chief Conservator. 

ABOUT SEATTLE ART MUSEUM
As the leading visual art institution in the Pacific Northwest, SAM draws on its global collections, powerful exhibitions, and dynamic programs to provide unique educational resources benefiting the Seattle region, the Pacific Northwest, and beyond. SAM was founded in 1933 with a focus on Asian art. By the late 1980s the museum had outgrown its original home, and in 1991 a new 155,000-square-foot downtown building, designed by Robert Venturi, Scott Brown & Associates, opened to the public. The 1933 building was renovated and reopened as the Asian Art Museum. SAM’s desire to further serve its community was realized in 2007 with the opening of two stunning new facilities: the nine-acre Olympic Sculpture Park (designed by Weiss/Manfredi Architects)—a “museum without walls,” free and open to all—and the Allied Works Architecture designed 118,000-square-foot expansion of its main, downtown location, including 232,000 square feet of additional space built for future expansion.

From a strong foundation of Asian art to noteworthy collections of African and Oceanic art, Northwest Coast Native American art, European and American art, and modern and contemporary art, the strength of SAM’s collection of more than 25,000 objects lies in its diversity of media, cultures and time periods. 

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