
KAYAPO/MEKRANOTI HEADDRESS AKKA PARI, BRAZIL, MIDLATE 20TH CENTURY © 2012 COURTESY OF HAT HORIZONS PHOTO: MATTHEW HILLMAN
The Global Language Of Headwear
Whatcom Museum - Old City Hall, Bellingham, WA - Feb 1 – Apr 26
Independent ethnographic curator Stacey W. Miller has organized this exhaustive touring show of 89 hats and headdresses, organized into fi ve themes: “Cultural Identity; Power, Prestige and Status; Ceremonies and Celebrations; Spiritual Beliefs; and Protection.” These will be joined by examples from the Whatcom permanent collection, including Northwest Coast cedar bark hats. Forty-two countries are represented by ravishingly beautiful, mostly 20th-century examples of wearable art. The entire exhibition suggests how functional objects attain fine art status.