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Textile Museum Of Canada

Textile Museum Profile: Arlene Chan

As part of this month’s Textile Museum of Canada Digital Residency, we’re profiling a number of artists and professionals associated with the museum and wider community. See all of the profiles here.


What’s your connection to the Textile Museum? 

The Textile Museum of Canada (TMC) hit my radar when I visited for its exhibition of Kaffe Fassett, decorative artist extraordinaire. My second connection was a TMC video interview, filmed at the former site of McGregor Socks on Wellington Street West. The topic was the story of the Chinese garment workers in Toronto’s textile industry. Last year, I was invited by the TMC Volunteer Association to speak about the history of the Chinese in Toronto with a focus on the days when the neighbourhood surrounding TMC was Toronto’s first Chinatown.

What do you do in your industry? 

My time as a retired librarian and third-generation Chinese-Canadian is devoted to research, writing, leading Chinatown tours and telling stories that connect the Chinese in Toronto with people and organizations, like TMC.

In your opinion, how can textiles tell stories? 

Textiles are universal in that we have used them in everyday life over thousands of years for clothing, decoration, protection and shelter. Regardless of our diverse backgrounds, there are so many intersections and shared experiences to tell our stories, as expressed through textiles and the rich choice of fabrics, colours, patterns, shapes, symbols, techniques and designs.

What’s your favourite place in Toronto to do some creative thinking?

My favourite creative space is my home office. I’m either crouching over my computer or leaning back in my chair to look at the cedar trees in the backyard. 

One of the Textile Museum’s current exhibitions features the works of Itchiku Kubota, whose artistic career focused intensely on the kimono. What do you think we can learn from this kind of creative dedication?

Itchiku Kubota has taken an everyday garment, the kimono, and resurrected a 500-year-old technique that was once thought as lost. Because of his work, a decorative art form of the past has taken a giant leap to the present. With the dedication of artists, like Kubota, who bring to life elements from our history, we are the beneficiaries.

So much of our attention is drawn to the digital and virtual possibilities of art. Can you explain what role textiles play in your day-to-day life?

Blankets, clothing, tea towels, embroidered cushions and so many other textiles in my home, each with a story, bring back memories of travels, birthdays, anniversaries and loved ones who have passed. There’s no comparison to having these as tangible and tactile treasures.

Name one artist of any discipline and any era who never ceases to inspire you.

Leonardo da Vinci is not only one of the most influential painters and sculptors in history, his legacy also endures in his creativity and innovation for other disciplines, including science, architecture, writing, cartography, engineering and music. Talk about thinking outside the box!


Visit the NOW Digital Residency: Textile Museum of Canada

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