The Textile Lab is an experiential annex that brings to life the craftsmanship of and contemporary connections to the traditional ensembles in the exhibition Veiled Meanings: Fashioning Jewish Dress, from the Collection of the Israel Museum, Jerusalem. Located in The Museum’s Stephen and Maribelle Leavitt Yud Gallery, the Textile Lab picks up local threads to journeys begun in the exhibition. With opportunities to dress, weave and stitch; collected interviews and photographs; and with drop-in classes, talks, and gatherings, the Textile Lab invites you to stay awhile.

The Textile Lab offers spaces for lingering, listening, and creating. The weaving looms invite visitors to add to collaborative pieces on large simple looms and explore the process of ikat dyeing and weaving.

The dressing station offers yards of fabric for draping, folding, and wrapping to create ensembles inspired by the exhibition, and a community driven photo montage of contemporary ceremonial clothing. The embroidery table has threads and linens to add stitches to decorative motifs and symbols inspired by the exhibition. The video nook features interviews with Bay Area community members whose families are from regions represented in the exhibition.