Textile Museum

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  • Address
    2320 S St NW, Kalorama
  • Show map Close map
  • Phone
    667 0441
  • Website
  • Transport
    underground rail: Dupont Circle

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Lonely Planet review

This gem is the country's only textile museum and as unappreciated as the art itself. In two historic mansions, its cool, dimly lit galleries hold exquisite fabrics and carpets dating from 3000 BC to the present. Accompanying wall commentary explains how the textiles mirror values of the societies that made them. Founded in 1925, its collection includes rare kimonos, pre-Columbian weaving, American quilts and Ottoman embroidery.

(Find the flaw: traditional textile artists, from Islamic carpet makers to Appalachian quilters, weave intentional flaws into their work to avoid mimicking God's perfection.)

Upstairs, the learning center will keep older kids entertained - and learning - for hours. Hands-on (literally!) exhibits demonstrate weaving patterns, dying techniques and more.