RugLife at WAM: Rethinking the Rug
Tuesday, October 28, 2025 at 3:40AMArticle by Becky Fillinger, photos provided
Johannah Herr, War Rug III (El Paso Shooting), 2020, acrylic and wool, 28 x 48in. Image courtesy of the artist.
The exhibition RugLife at the Weisman Art Museum (WAM) is a contemporary art show that centers on the rug — an item that has been in use by humans since animal skins were first placed on the floor of caves. The rugs in this exhibit move beyond decorative object to become the medium for cultural expression by 14 international artists. We talked to curator Judith Fox of curatorsquared about the traveling exhibition, who pointed out the artists cover major issues in their works – identity, politics, memory, environment, community, displacement, religion, gun violence, technology, home – taking the notion of a rug beyond the traditional role of item providing warmth and decoration.
You can expect free admission, every day, at the Weisman and a warm welcome for the general public as well as campus visitors. RugLife is at the Weisman until December 28 – please open your calendars and pick a date to visit.
Things to know and look for as you plan your visit:
- Featured Artists include Nevin Aladağ, Azra Aksamija, Ali Cha’aban, Sonya Clark, Liselot Cobelens, Johannah Herr, Oksana Levchenya, Noelle Mason, Wendy Plomp, Stéphanie Saadé, Slavs & Tatars, Ai Weiwei, and Andrea Zittel.
- On your tour, look for both familiar and unexpected use of color and design punctuated with the occasional pop culture trope and internet-famous meme, remixing form and function in wholly surprising ways.
- Among the rugs on view, be sure to see a tricksy rug made of painstakingly "woven" barbershop-black combs (from a distance, it looks like woven black velvet) and Pac Man chasing stylized Cossacks around a traditional Ukrainian folklore textile pattern.
Sonya Clark, Comb Carpet, 2008, combs, cable wire, 20 3/4 x 28 1/2 x 19in. Image courtesy of Taylor Dabney.
Oksana Levchenya, Pac Man and Cossacks, 2022, hemp thread and natural dyed wool, 80 x 140in. Image courtesy of the artist.
