CHICAGO, IL.- The Art Institute of Chicago announces Embroidered Traditions from Morocco to Afghanistan, on view May 2, 2026 through January 25, 2027. This exhibition, drawn primarily from the Art Institute’s collection, is the museum’s first devoted exclusively to the artistic and cultural traditions of Southwest Asia and North Africa (SWANA). With more than 70 works from the region, the exhibition will showcase textiles, jewelry, and adornment—most of which have never been displayed publicly before—from the 18th through the 20th century.

This show will highlight the region’s distinctive beauty and iconic visual expressions. Artists in SWANA have used, and continue to use, centuries-old embellishment techniques to share cultural expressions of identity, status, and long-held belief systems. Cultural groups throughout the region wear layers of dress and adornment to protect their bodies physically and spiritually. Garments and household items are ornamented with valuable materials that function as wearable wealth, including symbolic motifs and designs constructed with coins, thread, beads, amulets, ornaments, and jewelry.

“This exhibition brings to life the beauty, diversity, and symbolism along with the technical innovations of textiles and dress traditions that the SWANA region is known for,” said Janet Marion Purdy, associate curator, Textiles. “This is a unique opportunity for our visitors to explore our expansive collection of works from SWANA and gain an understanding and appreciation of the traditions and history.”

The vast area that spans from Morocco and Algeria in the west to Afghanistan and Uzbekistan in the east is connected by millennia-old trade networks. The works presented reveal pathways of deep cultural exchange shaped by diverse landscapes—from mountains and deserts to seas—along with the movement of nomadic peoples and the spread and interweaving of multiple religious traditions and urban fashions.

Among the works that have never before been seen publicly are four face veils on loan to the museum from a private collector specifically for this exhibition. Other highlights include elaborately decorated garments from Syria, Yemen, Niger, and Egypt; silver and coral “treasure necklaces” from Morocco’s Anti-Atlas Mountains; richly embroidered linen panels from the Art Institute’s exceptional collection of Ottoman Turkish textiles; and a wedding blanket embroidered by the Ahwari (Marsh Arab) peoples of Iraq.

Embroidered Traditions from Morocco to Afghanistan is curated by Janet Marion Purdy, associate curator, Textiles.