SAN FRANCISCO, USA – One day before yearly celebration of International Museum Day and during the annual observance of Philippine National Heritage Month, Philippine Consul General Neil Ferrer visited the SFO Museum inside San Francisco International Airport on 17 May 2022 to promote the “From Pineapple to Piña: A Philippine Textile Treasure” Exhibit.
Consul General Ferrer was joined by The Hinabi Project Executive Director Dr. Michael Gonzalez, SFO Museum Acting Director Timothy O’Brien, and SFO Museum Curator for Conservation Alisa Eagleston-Cieslewicz during the tour of the exhibition, wherein Professor Gonzalez talked about the history of piña or pineapple textile production and dressmaking in the Philippines.
The “Pineapple to Piña” Exhibit—only the second exhibition staged at the recently opened section of the SFO Museum at Harvey Milk Terminal 1—was made possible by the generous loan from Lacis Museum of Lace and Textiles, Jules Kliot, Storrie Johnson, Anthony Cruz Legarda, the Philippine Textile Council, and The Hinabi Project.
The exhibition features some of the finest collections of Philippine piña haute couture found in the United States. These include a selection of 19th century, Spanish colonial era piña from the Lacis Museum of Lace and Textiles in Berkeley, California, and the modern piña collection of U.S.-based Filipino fashion designer Anthony Cruz Legarda.
“The piña exhibit at the SFO Museum is a Filipino oasis in the middle of the busiest transport hub in the San Francisco Bay Area. With the surge of domestic and international air travelers into and out of the city, I hope that more people will see the unique beauty and masterful craftmanship of our Philippine piña heritage,” Consul General Ferrer said.
The Harvey Milk Terminal 1 of the San Francisco International Airport has a daily foot traffic of more than 50,000 air passengers, mostly domestic travelers within the U.S. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the airport served more than 57 million passengers per year.
The SFO Museum’s “Pineapple to Piña” Exhibit is located post-security at the Departures Area (Level 2) of San Francisco International Airport’s Harvey Milk Terminal 1, and will run until 13 November 2022. Additional information on the exhibition is available on the SFO Museum’s official website: www.sfomuseum.org.
Unique to the Philippines, the piña is an extraordinary textile made by weaving the fibers of the leaves of the Red Spanish Pineapple plant. This light, airy fabric is perfectly suitable to the Philippines’ hot tropical climate. During the Spanish colonial era, Philippine-made piña textiles were coveted in Europe and considered worthy gifts to give to royalty. END
