Mingei International Museum

Current & Upcoming Exhibitions

Current and Upcoming Exhibitions 

Fashioning an Icon: Virgin of Guadalupe Imagery in Textile Design | April 5, 2025 – September 7, 2025

This exhibition celebrates the Virgin of Guadalupe’s representation on clothing and adornment. Objects range from traditional garments created by over 70 artists from Mexico to a selection of local artistic interpretations of la Virgin. Inspired by her long history of depiction on textiles, these works explore the Virgin of Guadalupe’s endurance as an iconic cultural symbol fashioned through creative expression.

Student Craft 2025: Icon | April 5, 2025 – August 17, 2025

What makes an icon? Drawing inspiration from concurrent exhibition Fashioning an Icon: Virgin of Guadalupe Imagery in Textile Design, high school students were invited to create work exploring the visual themes of what makes a figure an icon. Students selected a personally meaningful iconic figure to explore through craft forms including but not limited to clay, metal, jewelry, furniture design, glass, textiles, weaving, basketry, fashion design, and craft-based mixed media. All student work on view has been made by hand, by high schoolers during the 2024/2025 school year.

Historic Footprints: Native American Ledger Drawing from Fort Marion | April 12, 2025 – August 17, 2025

Organized collaboratively with faculty and students from the University of California San Diego, members of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes, and the Kiowa Tribe, this exhibition explores hand-drawn sketches on ledger paper made by Cheyenne, Kiowa, Arapaho, Comanche, and Caddo tribal members that were taken as hostages and incarcerated without trial in 1875 in St. Augustine, Florida. Including more than 20 works from archival ledger books and 13 works by living Indigenous artists, these drawings bear witness to history and continue to inspire new generations.

Across the Spooniverse | April 12, 2025 – August 17, 2025

This exhibition presents over 100 spoons from across the globe (including Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas), exploring traditions of home, family, community, and culture that are associated with their use. Crafted from a variety of materials such as gourds, shells, animal horns, clay, wood, metals, and plastics, spoons are utilitarian objects that are also works of art, design, and craft. Each object is a reflection of a specific cultural context–from intimate traditions of home and family to community and celebratory preparations of food and drink, and the spiritual gestures of giving thanks for sustenance.

Layered Narratives: Quilted Stories of Gender & Race at the 1876 Centennial | May 17, 2025 – November 16, 2025

Examining a major historic event, the United States’ 1876 Centennial, this exhibition looks at quilts from the era to discuss representation, socio-politics, absent voices, and unheard stories. Packed with various symbolisms and meanings, the Centennial quilts featured in Layered Narratives give insight into the contributions and voices of Black women and the Black community at the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exposition. This exhibition expands the historical lens, revealing overlooked and underrecognized stories that exist in parallel with the Centennial quilts.

Tuck and Roll: The Art of Armadillos | May 24, 2025 – January 11, 2026

Located on Mingei’s free Entry Level, Tuck and Roll showcases over 80 armadillo figures from Mingei’s permanent collection! Featuring works made by artisans across the Americas, this playful installation emphasizes the joy of making things by hand and how these extraordinary creatures have delighted people’s imagination.