The League of San Francisco Consular Corps View an Exhibit of Pina Textiles at Berkeley Museum
11 May 2017 SAN FRANCISCO — Madame Mariza Bensurto, Vice President of the Board of the League of San Francisco Consular Corps, invited league members to view an exhibit on piña textiles at the Lacis Museum of Lace and Textiles in Berkeley on May 03 as part of the Philippine Consulate General’s activities celebrating the 50th Anniversary of ASEAN.
The exhibit, entitled “Piña The Philippine Cloth of Pride, Endurance and Passion”, is part of the private collection of Mr. Jules Kliot, who owns the Museum. The piña textiles were obtained from a diplomatic Italian family who was posted in the Philippines.
Mr. Kliot explained the painstaking process of producing fibers from the leaves of pineapple plants, knotting together fibers from 100 leaves to make a cloth that is approximately two yards in length, and finally decorating it by embroidery or callado, a kind of filigree work wherein the threads are pulled together in an intricate pattern.
Mr Kliot emphasized that pina weaving was all done by hand in the 18th century, adding that “the industry should be a source of pride for the Philippines.”
The collection includes christening gowns, piña flapper dresses, mestiza blouses, table covers and runners. The exhibit formally opens on July 07 2017, and will be on display until May 04 2018.
Mrs. Bensurto distributed mango chips to the guests which also included spouses of diplomats from Australia, China, India, Indonesia and Japan, and US support members from the San Francisco Bay Area.
For more information, visit www.sanfranciscopcg.dfa.gov.ph/ www.philippinessanfrancisco.org or https://www.facebook.com/PCGSF. END
