Minneapolis Review

The Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia) will present an exhibition titled “Threads of the Way: Daoist Priest Robes from China’s Qing Dynasty” from August 30, 2025, through February 1, 2026. The show will be held in the Robert and Marlyss White Gallery and is open to the public at no cost.

The exhibition features nine ceremonial garments and a Daoist statue drawn from Mia’s collection of Chinese art. These pieces highlight two main types of priestly robes used in Daoist rituals during the Qing dynasty: the sleeveless jiangyi and the long-sleeved hechang. The robes are decorated with motifs such as phoenixes, sacred mountains, zodiac symbols, and celestial diagrams.

Daoism is one of China’s major belief systems, emphasizing harmony with nature, cosmic order, and spiritual transcendence. The exhibition explores how these beliefs were expressed through ritual clothing.

“These magnificent robes are more than ritual dress—they are visual theologies, woven embodiments of Daoist cosmology,” said Yang Liu, Chair of Asian Art and Curator of Chinese Art at Mia. “Through their vibrant symbols and sacred forms, we see how the priest’s body became a conduit between heaven and earth. By foregrounding these rarely seen garments, this exhibition invites viewers to experience Daoism not just as belief, but as beauty, performance, and transformation stitched into silk.”

Visitors can view each robe as both an example of textile craftsmanship and as a religious object used in ceremonies. Each garment displays detailed embroidery that reflects centuries-old artistic traditions tied to spiritual practice.

“Threads of the Way” brings together works that have seldom been displayed publicly from Mia’s collection. The exhibit aims to honor these garments for their aesthetic value as well as their role in religious life.

For further details about this exhibition or other events at Mia, information is available on its official website: www.artsmia.org.

Mia houses over 100,000 works spanning 5,000 years from various cultures around the world. It offers free general admission year-round; some special exhibitions may require a small fee.