This exhibit series explores how creative practices, techniques, cultural traditions, and collections originate, are passed on, and ultimately foster new legacies through continuous cycles of transformation and creation.

Drawing from the life, work, research, and collections of Andrea Aranow (1945–2021), these exhibits aim to honor and celebrate her legacy as well as the stories and legacies of the often-anonymous artisans whose textiles she collected.

Before she provided design inspiration to international fashion brands and traveled the world to collect and research artisanal textile practices, Andrea Aranow began her career as a fashion designer. Dakota Transit was the youthful expression of Aranow’s fascination with color, clothes, and creative expression. Her clothes were worn by rock stars and socialites and featured in internationally distributed fashion magazines and underground New York papers. She used unconventional materials in unique ways, and her designs were as much a reflection of the personalities of her clients as they were a statement on Aranow’s personal philosophy of fashion.

Dakota Transit is the result of Aranow’s singular vision but is also a product of its time. The East Village in 1968 was a paradise for creatives and makers. Shops were social spaces where ideas and smoke mixed in the air. Painters, musicians, and fashion designers filled legendary venues like the Fillmore East and the loft spaces that doubled as jazz clubs or art galleries. Dakota Transit sat in the middle of this cultural scene, taking influence from everything around it. While Dakota Transit is the origin of Aranow’s long and colorful career, it is also her legacy.

While traveling in Peru, Andrea Aranow was struck by the beauty of the landscape, the vibrant culture, and the enduring tradition of handwoven clothing. The Peru collection by Andrea Aranow, spanning from the 1910s to the 1970s, gathers the textiles and embroideries from the Mantaro Valley in the Province of Huancayo, among others, which are a testament to a rich tradition that bridges rural and urban traditions. They also showcase a mastery of technique, innovation, and the influence of nature upon textile designs, all while chronicling the sociocultural events of their time.

Andrea Aranow spent six-months as a regional textile researcher at the Instituto Nacional de Cultura which inspired her to embark on original fieldwork, gathering and documenting textiles and garments. She saw in these pieces their pre-columbian heritage, their adaptability to the new elements from the colonial era, and their integration into every social aspect, taking them as canvases that express the artists' creativity.

This exhibition provides insight into the historical context of Huancayo, particularly the transformative period of the 20th century that witnessed significant economic and demographic growth. During this time, traditional Andean iconography merged with contemporary themes and imagery and the works shown demonstrate how textiles, like all art forms, are intrinsically linked to their people's social and material culture.