EUGENE–Local textile expert Hattie Mae Nixon will discuss "The Floating Skirt and Other Korean Textiles" for the University of Oregon Museum of Art’s MusEvenings! program on Wednesday, Feb. 23. The free talk will begin at 6 p.m. at the museum, 1430 Johnson Lane on campus.

Nixon, who received a master’s degree in recreation from the University of Oregon in 1961, has taught courses in home economics over the years at the UO and at Oregon State University in Corvallis. Prior to her involvement with the art museum, most of her lectures focused on fiber-related topics of historical quilts.

Nixon became involved with the Museum of Art in the early 1970s when she was asked by a museum docent to give a lecture on the museum’s collection of Asian textiles. She began researching Asian cultures and studying the museum’s Asian textile collection.

Currently, Nixon is an active docent at the museum, giving tours and going to local K-12 schools to talk about the museum and its collections.

Nixon’s talk is being given in conjunction with "The Realm of Revelation: Vision and Imagination in Later Korean Art," on exhibit at the Museum of Art through April 9. Organized by Charles Lachman, an associate professor of art history and the museum’s associate curator of Asian art, the exhibition is drawn from works in the museum’s collections and from objects loaned by collectors Robert and Sandra Mattielli of Portland.

The exhibition consists of traditional folding screens, hanging scrolls and fans, as well as an unusual banner and several intricately folded prints. It explores the idea that many Korean artists of the 19th and 20th centuries functioned essentially as visionaries, using their art to reveal otherwise invisible aspects of the world.

The University of Oregon Museum of Art is a nonprofit state institution supported by the generosity of its membership and by grants from the Oregon Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. Operating funds also are provided by the Horton, Museum of Art, Culp, Krause and Autzen endowments. Additional funding for this exhibition was provided by a Lane County Tourism Special Projects Grant.

Accessible to people with disabilities, the Museum of Art is open from noon to 8 p.m. Wednesday and from noon to 5 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. Suggested admission is $3, except on Wednesday evenings when the MusEvenings! program offers free extended viewing hours from 5 to 8 p.m. Museum members, students, UO employees and children are admitted free.

For information, browse http://uoma.uoregon.edu or call (541) 346-3027.

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