The exhibition features traditional textiles from Africa, Asia and South America collected by Paul J. Smith, Director Emeritus of the Museum of Arts and Design in New York City. These items have inspired contemporary design works by UC Davis students that are also showcased, highlighting the continuing relevance of traditional cultures and how they drive design thinking in new directions.

Paul J. Smith attended the Art Institute of Buffalo and the School of American Craftsmen in Rochester. In 1957, he moved to New York to join the staff of the American Craftsmen’s Council (ACC), now the American Craft Council, and began his long career at the Museum of Contemporary Crafts (MCC), renamed the American Craft Museum (ACM) in 1979 and the Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) in 2002. As Director from 1963 until 1987, Smith curated many exhibitions that introduced large audiences to craft artists and their work. As Director Emeritus, he developed an independent consulting service to the field. Smith has long been an advocate for the study, presentation, and documentation of craft. He has been widely recognized for his contributions to the field, receiving an Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from the New School University–Parsons School of Design, and the American Craft Council’s Aileen Osborn Webb Award for philanthropy. 

Please click here to study Smith’s lecture “Reflections Fiber Art History in America”.