A reminder that the next OATG event takes place next Thursday 7 December at 18:30 GMT. This is a Zoom lecture by OATG member Sheila Fruman, entitled Pull of the Thread: Textile Travels of a Generation. Sheila will present highlights from her recent book of the same name in which she studied “intrepid travelers [who]combed the streets and bazaars of Central and South Asia finding, researching, collecting and selling textile treasures to interested Westerners. Taken together, their stories are an enlightening guide to understanding how we connect to the past, and how textiles connect the world.”
This should be of particular interest to OATG members as two of Sheila’s nine subjects – John Gillow and Joss Graham – are fellow members.
As usual this event is free for members, with a small fee payable by non-members. Click here for more information and to register.
To whet your appetite, an extract from Sheila’s book – along with some fabulous photos – is available to read in the Cabana Magazine blog here.
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On Friday 8 December 2023 a new exhibition, Conversations in Cloth, curated by Judy Frater opens at the Wisconsin Museum of Quilts and Fiber Arts.
This exhibition “explores the textile traditions of Kutch, a region in the western state of Gujarat, India. Invitations to participate in this exhibition were extended to eleven artists by guest curator, Judy Frater, who developed the first design school for traditional artisans in Kutch. The Kutch district is renowned for its textile traditions, including Badhani, a form of tie-dyeing, weaving of extra weft patterned blankets and shawls, Rabari and Suf embroidery, and Dhadki, a type of scrap quilt making, and carpet weaving. This exhibition showcases the exquisite work of the artists, while asking each of them to engage in a conversation through making with a quilt from the museum’s collection.” – museum website
Judy will host a guided tour of the exhibition from 4:30pm on the opening day, and there will be a Textile Artists’ Market the following day. Click here for more information.
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The Textile Museum in Washington DC will be holding another of its regular Rug and Textile Appreciation mornings on Saturday 9 December 2023. The speakers this time are Lily Hope and Zachary Jones and their subject is the Past, Present and Future of Chilkat Weaving.
“Originating in the Pacific Northwest, Chilkat weaving uses a complex finger-twined technique requiring immense skill, time and dedication. These boldly patterned robes, also called “dancing blankets,” are worn for ceremonial occasions by dignitaries and high-ranking tribal members of the Haida, Tsimshian, Tlingit and other Northwest Coast Indigenous peoples of Alaska and western Canada. A single Chilkat robe can take years to weave, and the knowledge of how to complete them has always been held by only a small number of weavers.” – Textile Museum website
This event starts at 1pm EST, 10am PST, 18:00 GMT. You can find out more and register for this free programme here.
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For those who would like to learn more about Northwest Coast Native textiles I would recommend visiting this website – The Spirit Wraps Around You.
“This exhibit traces the history of the sacred textiles known today as “Ravenstail” and “Chilkat” robes. Two dozen robes carry the story of Native weaving among the Tsimshian, Haida, and Tlingit of Alaska and British Columbia, representing both ancient and modern ceremonial robes made by Alaska Natives and First Nations weavers.
Woven from the plush white fur of mountain goats, these robes were seen by early Euro-American visitors to the northern Northwest Coast when they contacted First Nations and Alaska Native people. Their use is reserved for sacred ceremonies, where dancers wear them to display the crests of their clans. In the 1900s, only a few weavers carried these unique traditions into the 21st century.” – Alaska State Museums website
The Online Exhibit section has lots of excellent images and explanatory text, and if you click on the Events section you can watch recordings of lectures and celebrations that took place in 2021.
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On Tuesday 12 December 2023 Andean Textile Arts will be hosting another online talk. The speaker this time is Susan Bergh and her subject is Mouth Masks and Severed Heads: The Nasca Painted Cloth at the Cleveland Museum of Art.
“Many regard the fragmentary Nasca cloth at the Cleveland Museum of Art as one of the greatest paintings to survive from Andean antiquity. The grounds for this judgment rest on artistic quality, including the refined realism of the six numinous figures who seem to walk in procession across the cloth’s length.” – ATA
The talk begins at 7pm EST. You can find out more and register for it here.
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Oxford Asian Textile Group blog 