The Hinabi Project: The Art of Philippine Textiles

Celebrate the rich tradition of Philippine weavings and textiles through the Hinabi Project, an ongoing educational display in the museum’s Resource Center. In partnership with Philippine American Writers and Artists, Inc., the display presents the history and evolution of this unique fabric woven from pineapple leaf fibers, and illustrates the process of extracting pineapple fiber, separating these into fine threads for weaving, embroidery and other embellishments. The exhibition includes examples of piña made in the 1930s, during its heyday as elegant wear for prominent American and Filipino women. A dress and a christening veil on loan from the Lacis Museum in Berkeley represents the piña in the life cycle of the Filipino family during that period of the 1930s, and contemporary panels represent the themes of creativity, harmony, and eternity complete the timeline of this exquisite fabric.