For more than forty years, William Geskes (1877-1962) created designs for Paterson, New Jersey, silk manufacturers. This exhibition features a selection of his drawings, which silk factories would have translated into repeated patterns to be woven as fabric. Geskes’ striking designs, which range from graceful floral motifs to wildly colored abstractions, provide a fascinating glimpse into the textile industry in the first half of the twentieth century.

There will be two different selections of Geskes's works on display: one from March 31 till July 10, and another from July 14 through November 2.

Designing for the Loom: Drawings by William Geskes is supported through the generosity of the Harry C. Trexler Trust, the Julius and Katheryn Hommer Foundation, the Century Fund, the Bernard and Audrey Berman Foundation, the Leon C. and June W. Holt Endowment, the Martin Guitar Charitable Foundation, the Rider-Pool Foundation, the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Friends of the Museum.