Desktop Dialogue: Making and Meaning in Mola Textiles

Join Cleveland Museum of Arts research fellow, Andrea Vazquez de Arthur and museum guide Leonardo Pérez Carreño from the Museo de la Mola in Panamá City, Panamá, for a conversation about making and meaning in molas, a key component of traditional dress among indigenous Guna women. This recorded talk coincides with the 2020-21 exhibit, “Fashioning Identity” Mola Textiles of Panamá”.

From the Cleveland Museum of Art:

“Molas are masterfully hand-sewn cotton panels that are made in pairs and sewn into blouses. They feature a wide array of vibrantly colored compositions, with designs ranging from geometric abstraction to imaginative scenes inspired by popular Western culture. Strong expressions of duality, repetition, and equilibrium are evident in mola imagery, both in single panels and those comprising the front and back of a blouse. Driven by precise aesthetic values and a spirited practice of artistic critique, Guna women are passionate about making ever more innovative mola designs that continue to push the boundaries of their cultural tradition.”

Image: Crab Mola Panel, mid-1900s. Sasardi Muladub community. Cotton; reverse appliqué, appliqué, embroidery; 44.5 x 48.3 cm.