Year-round events keep the Charleston area buzzing. Music and tempting aromas fill the air. Witness world-renown performances at Spoleto, get a taste of our heritage at a small town oyster roast or discover the find of a lifetime at an antique show. With so many events taking place, you'd better mark your calendar now.
Clothes to Dye For: Color Explosion at the Charleston Museum!
05/18/2007 - 04/18/2008
Location: The Charleston Museum
Address: 360 Meeting Street Charleston, SC 29403
Phone: 843.722.2996
Web Site: http://www.charlestonmuseum.org
Exhibit Curator-led Tours
A tour you'll be dyeing to take!
Charleston, SC - Visitors are invited to join Jan Hiester, curator of Clothes to Dye For: Colorful Textiles from the Charleston Museum Collection, for a guided tour of the exhibit. Learn about four centuries of garments worn by Charlestonians and dyeing processes used to achieve these rich shades and hues. These curator-led tours of Clothes to Dye For are available the first Thursday of the month throughout the exhibit run (see full listing of dates below) and are free with general admission (free for Museum members; $10/adults, $5/children, under 3 free). Advance reservations are not required. Please note: the First Thursday Clothes to Dye For tours are not available to tour groups.
About the Clothes to Dye For exhibit
All the colors of the spectrum are visible in an original Charleston Museum textile exhibition running May 18, 2007 to April 18, 2008. Clothes to Dye For: Colorful Textiles from the Charleston Museum Collection focuses on the power of color, its richness and intensity. "Color is all around us - in nature, in our houses, in the clothes we wear," explains curator of textiles Jan Hiester. "Men and women have traditionally used color to brighten their surroundings, change their appearance, or provide symbolic meaning to their lives." Clothes to Dye For examines color symbolism and color theory. The history of dyeing casts light on Eliza Lucas Pinckney and the importance of indigo to the Lowcountry, the Spanish introduction to Europe of tiny South American cochineal insects full of red dye, and dangerous concoctions such as Scheeles' green. Along with garments and accessories, textiles such as drapes, quilts, coverlets and furniture numbering over 200 items infuse the gallery with an array of deep shades and delicate hues.
Did you know?
Scheele's green, a green dye valued for its lightfastness, may have led to Napoleon Bonaparte's death in 1821. How? Scheele's green contained arsenic and was used in the wallpaper in Napoleon's room. Napoleon could have slowly absorbed the poison from his surroundings, leading to his ultimate demise.
To be an effective dye, indigo plant material needs to be fermented with an alkaline liquid. Urine was the liquid of choice in the 18th century. Early indigo dyers even felt certain types of urine were best, especially that of diabetics and drunkards (probably because of the high blood sugar levels)!
Cochineal, a rich red dye derived from the female of various tiny beetles, was used for dyeing clothing and even food well into the 20th century. That's the ultimate beetle juice!
Clothes to Dye For Curator-led Tour Dates
2007:
June 7
July 5
August 2
September 6
October 4
November 1
December 6
2008:
January 3
February 7
March 6
April 3
About The Charleston Museum
The Charleston Museum, founded in 1773, is America's first museum. It is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Holding the most extensive collection of South Carolina cultural and scientific collections in the nation, it also owns two National Historic Landmark houses, the Heyward-Washington House (1772) and the Joseph Manigault House (1803), as well as the Dill Sanctuary, a 580-acre wildlife preserve. Museum hours are Monday-Saturday 9 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday 1-5 p.m. Museum admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children.
05/18/2007 - 04/18/2008
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