Felt is considered to be the oldest constructed textile, predating weaving, knitting, and knotted fabric structures. It is created through an incremental process - first saturation with hot water, gentle pressure, agitation, rolling, and sometimes finished with beating- which has led to Felt sometimes being referred to as a percussion textile. This slow progression causes the wool fibers to mat together eventually forming a strong textile.

Felt is often communally made incorporating large groups of people to roll and later pound the cloth in rhythmic manners, the resulting agitation and pressure are essential to shrinking and finishing the textile.

This exhibition explores the history of this ancient textile in several ways: Utilizing felt pieces from the Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection; new works from two communities of feltmakers, the Association of Craft Producers (ACP) in Kathmandu, Nepal, and those of Unay Muchiku in Iluman, Ecuador; an abbreviated Chronology of Wool and Felt; and a fully tactile section devoted demystifying the varied forms of this multifaceted art form. Together, these demonstrate the wide range of uses today as a symbol of cultural identity, creative expression, and sustainable eco-friendly material used in wearables, furnishings, the built environment, industry, and as contemporary art.