Everybody’s Bolos Traveling Exhibition Now showing at the Fuller Craft Museum

Everybody’s Bolos features the work of thirty contemporary artists who brought their unique voices to bear on the bolo tie, a type of neckwear traditionally constructed with a cord or braided leather string. The exhibition examines the cultural history and significance of the bolo tie in marginalized communities as well as its expressive potential and relevance as a gender-neutral form of personal adornment. Everybody’s Bolos encourages visitors to acknowledge, explore, and challenge cultural stereotypes, fostering a broader understanding through the inclusivity and creativity of craft. In addition, Everybody’s Bolos cultivates new audiences for contemporary makers who innovate in the realm of the bolo tie.

Everybody’s Bolos was co-organized and co-curated by Ana M. Lopez, professor of Studio Art: Metalsmithing and Jewelry at the University of North Texas; Brian Fleetwood, assistant professor of studio art at the Institute of American Indian Arts, Santa Fe, NM and citizen of the Muscogee Nation of Oklahoma; and Hannah Toussaint, metalsmith and craft artist and current MFA candidate at the University of Georgia.

This exhibition was supported by the Gretchen Keyworth Exhibition Fund.
Catalog Cover images by Dasha Wright