The concurrent launch of the organization’s History Portal presents digitized components of La Jolla’s past alongside global textile messaging.

Sharing narratives about the impact textiles have on culture, the La Jolla Historical Society is set to debut its newest exhibit in partnership with the Visions Museum of Textile Art, alongside a new “History Portal” featuring La Jolla artifacts.

“Stories in Cloth: Communicating Through Textiles” will be revealed with a public opening at 6 pm Friday, June 26 at Wisteria Cottage, 780 Prospect St.

The exhibit explores “how people across cultures and throughout history have used textiles as a powerful tool for communication,” said Historical Society education and exhibitions manager McKenna Clifford Yahyai.

Showcasing pieces from around the local region and world and across time periods, “Stories in Cloth” highlights how fabric and stitching aren’t only used to clothe the body or decorate structures but are a fundamental means to convey meaning. 

Gyre (detail) by Charlotte Bird/Courtesy of La Jolla Historical Society

“We’re seeing how people are using a needle and thread to say some really interesting things,” Clifford Yahyai said.

The exhibition focuses on three key areas of shared experience: cultural expression; activism and resistance; and storytelling.

Beyond material

Within “Stories in Cloth,” visitors can expect to see works meant to raise awareness of how textiles have  served as a form of cultural expression, like with a set of Thai puppet dolls that represent different characters made from “hyper-specific fabrics and the types of embroideries” that facilitate detailed storytelling, Clifford Yahyai said.

One exhibit artist, Christine Lee, shows a piece inspired by her scientific research trip, a toile-like fabric of polar bears made from photochromic thread, which changes color with UV light.

Virgin-Mary-Denim-Mock-Up-Jacket by Claudia Rodríguez-Biezunsk/Courtesy of La Jolla Historical Society

Another local artist in the exhibit is Claudia Rodríguez-Biezunski, whose denim jacket depicts Mother Guadalupe. “Her work is just so interesting and really exciting,” Clifford Yahyai said.

In planning “Stories in Cloth,” the La Jolla Historical Society reached out to the Visions Museum of Textile Art to collaborate with experts, Lockhart said.

“There are some commonalities between our two small museum spaces and we felt it was a great opportunity to partner with them and to share resources and audiences,” she said.

Freedom Railroad (2024) by Patricia Kelly – Underground Railroad Quilt/Courtesy of La Jolla Historical Society

Intrigued by the idea that “for thousands of years, textiles have been a way to communicate in lots of different forms and on lots of different subjects,” the organizations worked to select pieces that exemplify cloth as language, Lockhart added.

The exhibit came together with objects borrowed from the Visions Museum and contemporary pieces from local and regional artists, crafters and creators.

Further enhancing the exhibition’s theme, Clifford Yahyai has planned public programming including free school tours, a mending workshop series with featured artists, lectures, tours of both museum spaces and more. 

The History Portal

Concurrently, La Jolla Historical Society is launching its “History Portal,” a new, permanent space in Wisteria Cottage offering visitors multiple pathways through La Jolla’s history.

The History Portal has three components, according to Executive Director Lauran Lockhart: a “big, beautiful timeline” of important moments in La Jolla’s development; a touch screen interface to engage with digitized materials in the Historical Society’s vast catalogue; and a spotlight on one or two objects from the organization’s collection.

The new presentation of richly historical materials is “in response to countless visitors who come through our door who are excited not only to see the exhibition, but then have questions and want to learn more about our collection of historic artifacts, postcards, photographs and architectural drawings,” Lockhart said.

La Jolla Historical Society is open from noon to 4 pm Wednesday through Sunday. Admission is free.  

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