The El Paso Museum of Art (EPMA) invites the public to view its new exhibit, The Red That Colored the World, which opens to the public on Friday, May 12.
The exhibition combines historical and contemporary works from different cultures to examine the power of RED—more particularly, the red pigment produced from the cochineal bug, a parasite of the prickly pear cactus.
The exhibition illustrates how the rainbow of reds produced by the cochineal had a worldwide economic significance for the Spaniards that only diminished with the invention of artificial dyes.
The Red That Colored the World is comprised of 51 artworks including textiles, paintings, sculptures, and furnishings from the Americas, Europe, and Asia ranging in time and culture from a loin cloth made in Pre-Columbian Peru to a silk gown created in 2014 by the contemporary Navajo fashion designer Orlando Dugi.
Programs and events will be offered for adults and children throughout the exhibition. The free exhibit will be on display from May 12 to August 20.
For more information, visit the El Paso Museum of Art or call (915) 212-0300.
Hand-dyed silk duchesse satin, silk organza, and silk thread; cut glass and sterling silver beads, French coil, Swarovski crystals, vintage beads and crystals; lining of duchesse satin and tulle
Collection of the artist. Photograph by Blair Clark.
Oil on canvas.
New Mexico History Museum 2005.27.31
