MOLAS! offers examples of works both conventional and contemporary with an array of molas brought together from several private Northern California collections. The exhibit features a variety of molas from the 1920s to the present that were made by Kuna women, as well as molas and mola-inspired quilts by textile artist Charlotte Patera, examples of Kuna women's clothing and photographs of Kuna women in traditional dress.

The Kuna people live in the San Blas Islands, an archipelago of small islands on the Caribbean coast of Panama. The Kuna people have lived on these islands, which they call Kuna Yala, since the 17th century.

As the exhibit's title implies, molas have become a cultural phenomenon that goes far beyond decorations for clothing. Although these elaborate cloth masterpieces are still quite beautiful, this indigenous art form has adapted with the times. Molas' high demand among tourists and collectors has even affected the Kunas' trade-based economy.

The complex technique used to make molas requires a steady hand and an eye for detail, as well as great proficiency with a needle. Layers of different colors of fabric (usually cotton) are sewn together and then cut away strategically in a design to reveal the colors underneath.

The raw edges of the cutouts are turned under and hand-sewn in place with stitches so small they're practically invisible. More complicated designs are often the most prized and will be filled in with great detail such as variegated stripes, sawtooth edging, dots or small triangles (which, the exhibit guide notes, takes a great deal of skill).

Solid color fabrics are the standard, but patterned fabric is sometimes used for various effects.

Molas offer a window into the Kuna culture with their depictions of objects from daily life—traditional mola patterns incorporate everything from fishing implements to basket-weaving designs to rainforest animals into swirling lines and geometric shapes of fabric.

But in more contemporary molas, just about anything is fair game for inspiration, as illustrated by a number of examples featured in the exhibit, including an almost psychedelic rendering of a Pringles chips logo, or an ad for Sheraton hotels. It turns out even cigarette packaging can have great appeal when transformed into a mola.

Other evidence of outside influences on the Kuna culture can be seen in the exhibit's molas that depict blimps and helicopters, common sights for those living near the Panama Canal, and also more fanciful scenes like spaceships and dinosaurs. One mola shows people playing basketball, which has become a popular sport in Kuna Yala.

MOLAS! demonstrates the variety and vibrancy of what is truly a living art form. These fabric works of art have come to represent the changes faced by one culture, but at the same time they present an aesthetic perspective that's still very much unique in the world.

"MOLAS! Folk Art/Tourist Art/Contemporary Art" runs through June 1 at the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles, 110 Paseo de San Antonio, San Jose. Admission is $4 for adults, $3 for seniors and students. For more information, call 408.971.0323 or visit www.sjquiltmuseum.org.