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2982 Adeline St., Berkeley, California



About our museum


Established in 2004, Lacis Museum of Lace & Textiles is a legacy museum honoring textile artist and entrepreneur Kaethe Kliot (1930-2002).
           Now known as Lacis, the little textile emporium founded by Kaethe in 1965 operated as a haven for the burgeoning fiber arts community. It was a place of inspiration and ready encouragement, where she provided her support, imparted her wisdom, and generously lent her expertise to all.
           The collection of the Kliot laces and textiles represents 40 years of dedication to the preservation of the most exquisite in human handiwork. It includes thousands of specimens from pre-Columbian Peru, the finest from 17th c. European courts, and examples of machine laces exemplifying the 19th c. industrial revolution. An extensive library, focusing on lace, textiles and costume, includes over 10,000 items of books, patterns, articles, and other ephemera. Essential and ancillary tools of the textile craft include those for all varieties of lace-making, as well as encompassing an extensive collection of sewing machines.

Our purpose & objective is to:

Preserve the spirit of Lacis as a place of support, knowledge and encouragement for all in the textile arts

Preserve and maintain the lace and textile collections of Jules and Kaethe Kliot

Preserve lace and textiles across cultures and periods, the patterns and tools of creation, the objects of their purpose, and the literature associated with them

Provide a resource center for research and documentation of these objects

Provide and maintain a Museum Shop for generating financial support

Solicit volunteers to work with staff

Encourage interest in lace and textiles by providing professional services for conservation and restoration, as well as design and consultation services for costume and accessories as appropriate for period re-enactments and bridal occasions



To that end, we are commited to:

Supporting a permanent staff to oversee all operations

Presenting rotating exhibits drawn from the resources of the permanent collection

Hosting classes to encourage dissemination of the techniques and knowledge of the textile arts






Support

LMLT is incorporated in California as a Public Benefit Corporation [501(C)(3)]. Our operations are supported by The Kliot Family Trust, monetary donations, donations of saleable items, classes and workshops, memberships, and proceeds from the Museum Shop.
     If you wish to make a monetary donation to our organization online, you can do so securely via PayPal by clicking the yellow Donate button below. However you might choose to support us, we sincerely thank you for your contribution!







Donations

LMLT is always interested in acquiring items for the Museum collection, or for resale to support Museum activities, from individuals, estates and auctions. Preferred items are those related to the Museum focus (that is, Lace, Needlework, Textiles, Costumes and Costume Accessories).
    If you're interested in bestowing such an endowment to our permanent collection or the Museum Shop, please see our donation form here. (If additional pages are needed, you can use these.) Please print and complete the form and inventory to the best of your ability in advance, as staffing is limited. The donor assigns a value to the donation; as the recipient of your donation, it is a conflict of interest for us to counsel or provide a valuation. Additionally, any written information about provenance and origin that you can provide is extremely helpful and welcome.

Items we cannot accept include:

Extremely oversize/heavy items, such as: vintage/antique luggage, steamer trunks, treadle sewing machines, laundry mangles, etc.

Craft/textile arts magazines published less than 50 yrs ago

Large quantities of books, particularly those of more recent publication

Contemporary crafting supplies (acrylic yarn, polyester fabrics, etc.)

Contemporary clothing, bedsheets, tablecloths

Significantly stained or damaged lace, textiles; anything with smoke odor; anything affected by mold or pests

If you're looking for another place to donate your goods, you might try contacting:

Urban Ore — ending the age of waste (urbanore.com)

The East Bay Depot for Creative Reuse (creativereuse.org)

SCRAP — a non-profit creative reuse center and arts education nonprofit (scrap-sf.org)

Community Thrift Store — an independent and non-discriminatory non-profit establishment. When you donate with them, you can pick one of their 200+ charitable partners and get a tax receipt (communitythriftsf.org/donate/)

Habitat for Humanity — an independent and non-discriminatory non-profit establishment. When you donate with them, you can pick one of their 200+ charitable partners and get a tax receipt (restore.habitatebsv.org)

White Elephant Sale — The Oakland Museum Women's Board organizes a massive annual fundraising event to support the OM's programming — and they've been doing it for over 60 years! (whiteelephantsale.org/)

We occasionally get inquiries about whether or not we can buy someone's vintage or antique items. As a nonprofit, we aren't in a position to purchase things for our shop or our permanent collection, but if you're looking to make money from your vintage or antique items, you can try:

Estate sale companies or vintage resellers that sell on consignment

Etsy or eBay

Facebook Marketplace






Press

We're still working on compiling our press clippings, but for now, here are a few stories about us you can enjoy, in no particular order:

A Stitch Or NineCRAFT SHOPS / TRAVEL / Lacis Museum of Lace and Textiles, Aug. 2018

Berkeley InsiderEMILY MARKS / The Art of Textiles, May 1996

Bare MagazineEmbroidery: The Extraordinary...

Overdressed for LifeMoya Stone, providing the scoop on offbeat fashion, visits "Worn to Dance"

Finery, Aug. 2020GBACG NEWSLETTER / "Worn to Dance: A 1920s Fashion and Beading Exhibit at Lacis Museum of Lace and Textiles"

The East Bay MonthlyCULTURE 1812 / "Three Quirky Berkeley Museums Engage the Senses of Smell, Sight, and Taste"

American DuchessBEHIND THE SCENES: Book signing event, April 2018

SF GateA LA MODE / "A secret world of lace, trim and buttons"

SFO MuseumLace: A Sumptuous History 1600s-1900s

Atlas Obscura"Buttons to beads, flounces to fripperies"

Smithsonian InstitutionMuseum Day venues

Needle Arts Magazine, Dec. 2010Embroidery exhibit review

Berkeley Daily Planet, April 2005ZELDA BRONSTEIN / "The Art That Saved the Irish From Starvation"

OSA Telegraph, Sept. 2016ART + MUSIC / "Tatting in the Lacis Museum"

Bay Area MGL, Feb. 2015ARIUKA YURY / "Turburam Sandagdorj: Mongolian Paper Cut Art Exhibition Kicks Off in Berkeley"

The Silk Mill, July 2021DIANE HELENTJARIS / "Lace: So Lovely There Was a Law Against It" (briefly mentioned)

Spaulding Concrete"Berkeley, California is blessed with some of the Bay Area's most fantastic museums..."

Toni's Vintage Trips, Oct. 2012"Treasures of the Lacis Museum of Lace and Textiles"

Roxanne Rodriguez Fashion Design, March 2017"A Trip to The Lacis Museum of Lace & Textiles"

Fashion Historia, Sept. 2011HEATHER VAUGHAN LEE / "Knitted Lace of Estonia (Lacis Museum in Berkeley)"






In Our Collection

These are just a few of items in the permanent collection of the Lacis Museum that the people of the LMLT community have generously contributed.
          Each month in our official Newsletter, we spotlight some of these special donations by our supporters have made; here we invite you to view and enjoy these unique and illuminating pieces of textile history.






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© 2021 Lacis Museum of Lace & Textiles

2982 Adeline St., Berkeley, CA 94703