The Hasan A. Foundation (The Haveli: Museum of Textiles)
The first and only museum in Pakistan dedicated to the heritage textile arts of Pakistan. Our objective is to collect, conserve, research and display the extra-ordinarily rich and historic legacy of textile craftsmanship of Pakistan before it is irretrievably lost. We do this not just by exhibiting the objects in our Collection but also through school visits, curatorial tours, practical workshops and talks on arts-related subjects.
Year of Establishment:
2024
Focus Areas:
Education, Community Development
Geographical Areas of Operations:
Sindh
Beneficiaries:
Children, Youth, Women, Men, Elderly
Brief Overview
A vibrant space for the stories and skills behind Pakistan’s heritage.
Textiles in Pakistan are multidimensional as they encapsulate histories of faith, migration and identity. Today, many of the communities and practices that sustain these traditions are increasingly at risk.
The Haveli was created to preserve, share and celebrate this knowledge. It is not only about objects, but about the people behind them, their stories, their skills and their way of life.
Core Programs and Services
A fully functional Museum open 6 days a week, fully airconditioned with solar power. Five galleries displaying heritage textiles from each of the four provinces of Pakistan. A number of objects displayed have been exhibited and published internationally.
Periodic talks and seminars, on aspects of Pakistani culture with an emphasis on heritage textiles.
Hands on workshops on textile techniques with master artisans which combine theory and practice.
Active outreach programme for school and university students especially those from under-privileged areas.
Continuing research into the origins and techniques of heritage textiles from the country and their relevance to the wider region.
What Makes Our Approach Distinct
The only museum in Pakistan dedicated to the study, conservation and display of Pakistani heritage and traditional textiles.
An internationally acclaimed Museum celebrated both at home and abroad, with a cycle of annual exhibitions covering the textiles of each of the four provinces of Pakistan.
An outreach programme that covers school visits, curatorial tours, workshops on textile skills and public talks on the cultural and material histories of textiles.
Impact Stories
G.A. is a master craftsman on block printing. We invited him to conduct a practical workshop that covers the entire process of block printing for an audience of about 20 participants. Numbers were restricted due to limitations of space. Our objective is to keep these traditional skills alive and to adapt craftsmanship with contemporary design and taste. The ultimate objective is to create a pathway from atelier to the marketplace and provide artisans with a sustained livelihood. This workshop will be repeated every year and more often if there is interest.
