Common Thread

Mask Series, Havana
Alexandre Arrechea

Boundless creative freedom can be found in even the most archaic artistic mediums. Take tapestries, for example. Countless cultures employed these textile artworks for various needs, but they primarily rose to prominence in the Middle Ages as an aristocratic status symbol. Noble families would use tapestries for practical purposes, such as to insulate castle walls, and often traveled with them between residences. The Boca Raton Museum of Art ushers this ancient art into the twenty-first century with “Nomadic Murals: Contemporary Tapestries and Carpets,” on display beginning April 23. This new special exhibition seeks to highlight the modern applications and versatility of this technique, in which horizontal (or weft) threads are woven over and under the vertical (or warp) threads to produce an image. In addition to “Nomadic Murals,” the museum will debut two other shows on April 23, one composed of arresting snapshots from twentieth-century street photographer Lisette Model, and another spotlighting the work of pioneering abstract expressionist Nick Carone. (561-392-2500, bocamuseum.org) 

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