The Global Language of HeadwearCultural Identity, Rites of Passage, and Spirituality

TRAVELING EXHIBITION SERVICE

“Hats and headdresses are a unique and powerful lens through which one can view the human experience.”Stacey W. Miller, Curator

The Global Language of Headwear: Cultural Identity, Rites of Passage, and Spirituality explores the vital role of ceremonial headwear throughout diverse cultural customs, beliefs, and rituals. Featuring approximately 89 hats and headdresses from 43 different countries spanning five continents, and organized into five distinct categories—Cultural Identity; Power, Prestige, and Status; Ceremonies and Celebrations; Spiritual Beliefs; and Protection—this exhibition showcases these mutual themes amid a range of traditions.

Each section draws compelling parallels across a global spectrum of regions and ethnicities represented in the exhibition. The beliefs and rituals of these many cultures, and the ceremonial objects that accompany them, ultimately unite an international community. Comparatively, both the Plains Indian Warbonnet (6) and the Pende Chief’s Hat (Misango MaPende) (5)—though from vastly different regions and civilizations—represent a position of leadership and status, and only those who have earned the right to wear one may do so. The Global Language of Headwear colorfully demonstrates that each distinct society can be viewed through a similar lens of rites of passage, heritage, and identity.

FRONT Phami Akha Headdress, Thailand, mid-20th century, metal, glass, beads, coins, and cotton 1 Kayapo/Mekranoti Headdress (Akkapa-ri), Kayapo tribe, Brazil, mid-20th century, feathers, cotton, and reed 2 Dayak/Kenyah Cer-emonial Headdress, Dayak/Iban tribe, Indonesia/Borneo, mid-20th century, rattan, cloth, glass beads, goat hair, and hornbill feathers 3 Thunderbolt Crown, Tibet, early 20th century, metal 4 Tekke Wedding Headdress, Turkmenistan, early 20th century, metal, beads, cotton, and silk © 2017, Courtesy of Hat Horizons, Photograph by Stacey Miller 5 Pende Chief’s Hat (Misango MaPende), Democratic Republic of the Congo, mid-20th century, fiber, glass beads 6 Plains Indian Warbonnet, United States, late 20th century, turkey feathers, hide, beads, wool, cotton, and horse hair

Unless otherwise noted, all images © 2012, Courtesy of Hat Horizons. Photograph by Matthew Hillman.

EXHIBITION SPECIFICATIONS

Number of Works89 hats and headdresses; 2 sets of paired hats

Organized byStacey W. Miller and International Arts & Artists

Curator Stacey W. Miller

RequirementsModerate security; approximately 1600 square feet

ShippingExhibitor pays outgoing shipping costs within the contiguous US

Booking Period 8 weeks

Tour October 2019–October 2022

Educational MaterialsExhibition Education packet

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