3/25-3/26/2023 (Saturday and Sunday)
Avenir Institute of Textile Art And Fashion
100 West 14th Ave, Denver, CO
(Denver Art Museum)
Tour Fee $100 plus separate $65 Symposium Fee
Register on Eventbrite (Tour)
We will be in Denver to take in a one-day symposium with The Avenir Institute of Textile Art And Fashion: From Workshop to Nomad: New Thinking about Rug Weaving Categories and Design Influences.
The symposium will be Saturday, March 25th, 2023, from 9am-4pm at the Denver Art Museum. Four top rug scholars will explore carpets and the various weaving cultures of West Asian carpets, inspired by the exhibition Rugged Beauty: Antique Carpets from Western Asia, currently on view at the museum.
After the symposium, join us for an Evening Reception at the world famous Shaver-Ramsey Rug Gallery.
And on Sunday morning, enjoy a private tour of the Rugged Beauty: Antique Carpets from Western Asia exhibition at the Denver Art Museum with rug expert and scholar Paul Ramsey.
Image: Dragon Rug, Caucasus, 1700s. Hand-knotted wool pile; wool warp and weft; 144 x 73 in. The Textile Museum Collection, Washington DC, R36.1.2: Acquired by George Hewitt Myers in 1923. Photography by Breton Littlehales.
Schedule
3/24 No-Host Dinner (optional), 7pm, location to be announced
3/25 Light breakfast with coffee and tea at Denver Art Museum, 8:15am (included with symposium)
3/25 Symposium, 9am-4pm (lunch included). You may visit the exhibition and museum as well.
3/25 Evening Reception at Shaver-Ramsey Rug Gallery 5:30-8:30 pm
3/26 Private tour of Rugged Beauty: Antique Carpets from Western Asia exhibition with Paul Ramsey at the Denver Art Museum, 10am-12:45pm
General admission to the Denver Art Museum for the rest of Sunday is provided.
Symposium Registration
Participants are responsible for registration ($65) for the Saturday symposium, which is not included in the TAC event fee. Register for the symposium here.
Khamseh Lion Rug, Southwestern Iran, 1800s. Hand-knotted wool pile; wool warp and weft; 67 x 76 in. Private Collection.
Hotels
Participants are responsible for hotel costs and reservations.
Some nearby hotels are:
The Art Hotel Denver, Curio Collection by Hilton - 5 minute walk to the Denver Art Museum
Element Denver Downtown East, a Marriott Hotel - 7 minute walk to the Denver Art Museum
Staybridge Suites Denver Downtown, an IHG Hotel - 7 minute walk to the Denver Art Museum
Hyatt Place Denver Downtown - 9 minute walk to the Denver Art Museum
About the Symposium
The Avenir Institute of Textile Arts and Fashion's first symposium, From Workshop to Nomad: New Thinking about Rug Weaving Categories and Design Influences, will explore rugs and the various weaving cultures of West Asian carpets, inspired by the Rugged Beauty: Antique Carpets from Western Asia exhibition, currently on view at the Denver Art Museum.
Though prevailing ideas about these categories have been important and useful to the study of these textiles, the current models of producing rugs are often ambiguous and do not account for the complex cultures and economies of the people who create them. Usage of the word "tribal" as a rug-making category comes into question, as does the classification "village." Speakers will address these issues through the lens of three main categories of rug weaving (tribal/nomadic, workshop, and village, including prayer rugs) and potentially suggest directions for future study.
Speakers and Presentation
Sumru Belger Krody, Senior Curator, The Textile Museum Collection, The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum: "A Way of Looking: Perception and Meaning of Prayer Carpets"
James Opie, independent scholar: "What is “Tribal”? Variations and Art History in Persian Nomadic and Village Weavings"
Raoul Tschebull, independent scholar: "The Sources and Evolution of Field Designs in 19th Century Transcaucasian Village Pile-Woven Rugs"
Paul Ramsey, visiting scholar for the Rugged Beauty: Antique Carpets from Western Asia: "Not-so-Rugged: Some Alluring Aspects of Workshop Carpets in the Rugged Beauty: Antique Carpets from Western Asia exhibition"