When the doors open to the new George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum on March 21, the public will be greeted with three exhibitions, one of which includes the largest number of artworks from The Textile Museum’s collections ever displayed.

Unraveling Identity: Our Textiles, Our Stories will span 2,000 years and five continents as it examines the stories that textiles tell about politics, religion, rites of passage and other facets of individual and cultural identity. The textile exhibition will join two historical exhibitions featuring pieces from the Albert H. Small Washingtoniana Collection: Seat of Empire: Planning Washington, 1790–1801 and The Civil War and the Making of Modern Washington.

Unraveling Identity: Our Textiles, Our Stories: March 21 – Aug. 24

Throughout time and around the world, clothing, adornments and other fabrics have articulated identity and status. Unraveling Identity uses more than 100 pieces to demonstrate the power and prestige of textiles as identity markers. The exhibition will showcase works from The Textile Museum’s own collections as well as contemporary textile art and articles of fashion on loan.

Seat of Empire: Planning Washington, 1790–1801: March 21 – Oct. 15

Seat of Empire uses historical maps and related images to tell the story of the early experiment in urban design that shaped the landscape of Washington, D.C. In 1792, George Washington charged artist, architect and engineer Pierre L’Enfant with envisioning the capital of a new nation from a swath of private properties and plantations. Guest curated by GW Adjunct Professor of History Kenneth R. Bowling, Seat of Empire underscores the sweeping impact of L’Enfant’s choices.

The Civil War and the Making of Modern Washington: March 21 – Oct. 15

The Civil War brought remarkable transformation, both physical and political, to Washington, D.C. The Civil War and the Making of Modern Washington, guest-curated by GW Professor of History Tyler Abinder, tracks the city’s evolution from the beginning of the war through Reconstruction through maps, prints and illustrations of the federal buildings, barracks, hospitals, hotels and markets that served a burgeoning population. 

The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum

The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum is forming a new museum complex opening March 21 on GW's Foggy Bottom campus. Dedicated to art, history, and culture, the custom-built museum will display The Textile Museum’s highly regarded collections of more than 19,000 non-Western textiles and carpets, and pieces owned by the university, including the Albert H. Small Washingtoniana Collection of 1,000 artifacts documenting the history of Washington, D.C.

Admission is free for museum members, children and current GW students, faculty and staff. A suggested donation of $8 for non-members will support the museum’s exhibitions, collections and educational programs. The museum is open Monday, Wednesday-Friday 11:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday 1-5 p.m. 

For more information visit: www.museum.gwu.edu or call 202-994-5200.