Art and Materials Conservation Commons^™

The Stamina Of Things: Jean Toury's Nightshirt, Janet Pollock

Textile Society of America: Symposium Proceedings

“Stamina. from Latin stamen (Pliny), literally "foundation in weaving, thread of the warp" ......also threads spun by the Fates.”

A seasoned forager of forest and flea markets, I have tempered my eye to both the unassuming and the unexpected. I make and study textiles of every stripe. The subject of my presentation, this nightshirt, traveled 5500 miles and 80 years to reach my neck of the woods. Tailor-made and monogrammed, well-worn and deeply stained, it was suddenly dispatched into the world, to be sold "as is". I asked and was given a name, a place and a date. Jean Toury. …

The Petticoat: Details Of A Forgotten Garment In Mexico City (1900–1910), Nallely Rangel Vázquez

Textile Society of America: Symposium Proceedings

During Porfirian government, Mexican society experienced a flourishing of the textile industry driven by state policies that encouraged both the rise of the national industry and foreign investment. This process was perceived from the daily life of the capital, through the windows of silk shops, shoe shops, warehouses and, above all, the imposing department store El Palacio de Hierro. One of the garments that was designed to fit at the waist and cover the legs was the petticoat, which was assumed to be a piece of female underwear. In this article, I am interested in unravelling details findings about this …

Woven Symphony: Exploring The Parallels Between Weaving And Music, Qianwen Yu

Textile Society of America: Symposium Proceedings

Weaving and music are art forms often perceived as unrelated but actually share deep connections and fascinating similarities. In this presentation, I will first briefly introduce the impact of the 19th-century Jacquard loom on the invention of the Player Piano, a musical technology that evolved into the modern "MIDI" computer audio notation system. Second, I will explore the similarities found in both weaving and musical composition by presenting some of my own media installation art works. These works translate musical scores into woven textures, and vice versa, creating symphonies and revealing new sensory ways to appreciate textiles and music. I …

La Representación De Los Seres Voladores En Tejidos Ceremoniales Tiwanaku, Elisa Cont

IX Jornadas Internacionales de Textiles Precolombinos y Amerindianos / 9th International Conference on PreColumbian and Amerindian Textiles, Museo delle Culture, Milan, 2022

Este estudio iconográfico e iconológico se propone analizar la representación de una particular tipología de seres antropo-zoomorfos en la cultura Tiwanaku mediante una investigación transdisciplinaria, que incluye estudios de arqueología, antropología, semiótica y estética. Algunos seres antropo-zoomorfos con atributos de aves, felinos, cérvidos y llamas estarían representados flotando en sentido horizontal, y simbolizarían el chamán en su estado de trance, realizando su viaje mágico, a través del consumo de unas substancias psicoactivas. Los artistas tiwanakotas por medio de las imágenes de “seres voladores” reflejarían unos principios acerca de su cosmovisión, y revelarían el rol fundamental que algunas experiencias mágicos-religiosas ejercían …

Las Tapicerías Del Sitio Topater En El Contexto De Los Textiles Del Formativo Medio (500 A.C.-100 D.C.) En Atacama, Soledad Hoces De La Guardia Chellew, Ana María T. Rojas Zepeda

IX Jornadas Internacionales de Textiles Precolombinos y Amerindianos / 9th International Conference on PreColumbian and Amerindian Textiles, Museo delle Culture, Milan, 2022

El presente trabajo expone un conjunto excepcional de piezas en técnica de tapicería encontrados en el cementerio de Topater, cercano al rio Loa, ubicado en el desierto de Atacama, Norte de Chile. Estos tejidos, objeto de investigaciones previas (Agüero 2000; Cases 2000; Sinclaire 2001), en conjunto con los anillados y los textiles con afelpados de mecha, constituyen la base de caracterización técnica del sitio. Las nuevas condiciones de almacenaje y reciente procesamiento de este material han permitido abarcar la totalidad de los textiles en tapicería, profundizando un estudio técnico estructural y de sistemas de representación asociados para desde allí replantear …

Proceso De Retejido, Por Medio De Cordeles De Papel Japonés, En Una Bolsa Procedente De La Cueva De La Candelaria, Torreón, Coahuila, México, Miriam Elizabeth Castro Rodríguez, Gloria Martha Sánchez Valenzuela, Orlando Martínez Zapata

IX Jornadas Internacionales de Textiles Precolombinos y Amerindianos / 9th International Conference on PreColumbian and Amerindian Textiles, Museo delle Culture, Milan, 2022

La Cueva de la Candelaria, es una cueva mortuoria fechada entre el 1100 y 1300 d.C. (Aveleyra 2010) dónde se depositaron los cuerpos de grupos de cazadores recolectores junto con los bienes que les habían pertenecido en vida. Gracias a sus condiciones de cueva seca se lograron conservar y rescatar una gran variedad de artefactos elaborados con fibras semiduras de agavaceas como son los objetos de cordelería (redes, bolsas, cuerdas). Debido al deterioro natural de las fibras y los generados durante el contexto de enterramiento como son los lixiviados de los cuerpos, desarrollo de microorganismos, acciones de insectos y animales …

Textiles Y Plumas. Documentación Y Conservación De La Colección Etnográfica Del Museo De Farmacobotánica Juan A. Domínguez, Facultad De Farmacia Y Bioquímica De La Universidad De Buenos Aires (Argentina), Silvana Di Lorenzo, Lucila Pesoa, Cecilia Pérez De Micou, María Del Carmen Toribio

IX Jornadas Internacionales de Textiles Precolombinos y Amerindianos / 9th International Conference on PreColumbian and Amerindian Textiles, Museo delle Culture, Milan, 2022

El museo de Fármacobotánica “Juan A. Domínguez” preserva una interesante colección etnográfica de textiles y plumaria procedente de varias regiones de Argentina, Bolivia y Paraguay. En este trabajo presentamos el estado de avance de la investigación, documentación y conservación preventiva en referencia al patrimonio recolectado en la región del Gran Chaco. Mediante este proyecto independiente de investigación y conservación nuestro objetivo es dar a conocer esta colección inédita para preservarla, ponerla en valor y propender a su visualización.

The “Juan A. Domínguez” Pharmacobotanical Museum preserves an interesting ethnographic collection of textiles and feathers form various regions of Argentina, Bolivia and …

Kuna Shirts From Panama In Brussels’ Art And History Museum, Anne-Françoise Martin

IX Jornadas Internacionales de Textiles Precolombinos y Amerindianos / 9th International Conference on PreColumbian and Amerindian Textiles, Museo delle Culture, Milan, 2022

The Kuna live in the San Blas Archipelago off the coast of Panama. Kuna women make cotton shirts (mola/molakana) using the reverse appliqué technique. They start by superimposing several thin layers of very colourful fabric. A subtle positioning of cuts brings out the colours of the lower layers and creates patterns. Kuna women are inspired by plants and animals in the nature that surrounds them when creating these patterns. They also draw on a repertoire of patterns from everyday objects. These shirts, sewn with pride and a great deal of humour, can tell us a lot about Kuna society. They …

El Traje Ceremonial De Los Samilantes, Olga Liliana Sulca, Enrique Oscar Cifre Kargachin

IX Jornadas Internacionales de Textiles Precolombinos y Amerindianos / 9th International Conference on PreColumbian and Amerindian Textiles, Museo delle Culture, Milan, 2022

En la Puna salto jujeña (extremo noroeste de Argentina), se celebran todos los años una serie de festividades que vinculan la tradición católica con una serie de rituales, cuyos orígenes tienen profundas raíces prehispánicas. En estas celebraciones se entrelazan música, atuendos, danzas y ceremonias. Una de esas expresiones sincréticas es la denominada Danza del Suri. Sus participantes, también llamados samilantes o “plumudos” se destacan por el uso de un particular atavío, cuya finalidad tiene como objetivo encarnar el aspecto y la conducta del suri o ñandú cordillerano (ave no voladora) que se extiende por el área cordillerana desde el altiplano …

El Horizonte Medio En Huacas De Moche: Naturaleza De La Ocupación Post-Mochica En Huaca Del Sol (C. 800-1000 D.C.), Lizbeth Pariona, Carlos Rengifo, Moisés Tufinio

IX Jornadas Internacionales de Textiles Precolombinos y Amerindianos / 9th International Conference on PreColumbian and Amerindian Textiles, Museo delle Culture, Milan, 2022

Este artículo presenta los resultados del análisis estilístico y de técnicas de manufactura de un grupo de textiles recuperados en contextos funerarios correspondientes a la segunda mitad del Horizonte Medio (800-1000 d.C.) excavados en el edificio conocido como Huaca del Sol, en el sitio Huacas de Moche de la costa peruana. Estos materiales orgánicos presentan características que permiten la identificación de rasgos del estilo Mochica local junto con estilos foráneos, lo que ayuda a una mejor comprensión de las interacciones culturales en el sitio durante este singular periodo. Los resultados de este estudio brindan, además, nuevos detalles sobre las características …

Portada E Información Editorial / Frontmatter And Editorial Information

IX Jornadas Internacionales de Textiles Precolombinos y Amerindianos / 9th International Conference on PreColumbian and Amerindian Textiles, Museo delle Culture, Milan, 2022

Covers - Cubiertas; Contents - Contenido; Programme – Programa; Asociaciones Sponsors; Words from Director – Palabras de la directora ▪ Marina Pugliese; Preface – Prólogo ▪ Carolina Orsini, Federica Villa ; Photos from the workshop - Fotos del taller; Links to recorded sessions online @ Youtube - Enlaces a sesiones grabadas en línea @ Youtube

Textiles De La Cultura Nasca Del Proyecto Arqueológico Nasca-Palpa Al Sur Del Perú, Daniela Biermann

IX Jornadas Internacionales de Textiles Precolombinos y Amerindianos / 9th International Conference on PreColumbian and Amerindian Textiles, Museo delle Culture, Milan, 2022

Los textiles excavados por el proyecto arqueológico Nasca-Palpa en el Departamento de Ica provienen de dos asentamientos y un sitio sagrado cerca de la ciudad moderna de Palpa. En base a los datos arqueológicos se clasifican los textiles en varios rasgos de la cultura Nasca (200 aC – 650 d.C.): Los asentamientos fueron habitados permanentemente durante un largo período y, además, periódicamente, fueron utilizados como cementerios. Los hallazgos textiles son de tumbas de diferentes periodos, formas y sectores de los asentamientos. Paralelamente se trata por primera vez de textiles de capas compactas de áreas habitadas y además de todas las …

Knot Anomalies On Inka Khipus: Revising Locke’S Knot Typology, Sabine Hyland

IX Jornadas Internacionales de Textiles Precolombinos y Amerindianos / 9th International Conference on PreColumbian and Amerindian Textiles, Museo delle Culture, Milan, 2022

In 2007, in the IV Actas de las Jornadas Internacionales sobre Textiles Precolombinos, Kylie Quave noted the existence of various structural anomalies in khipus presumed to date to the Late Horizon. These anomalies included the use of non-cotton vegetal fibres, the inclusion of single red strings, subsidiary cords that are plied through rather than half hitched, and the placement of long knots and figure-8 knots “in a way that precludes a numerical reading”. Since Quave’s article, there has been little examination of such anomalies, nor have scholars known whether such anomalies were to be found in khipus that had …

Estudio De Un Grupo De Chuspas De La Huaca Malena, Lourdes Chocano Mena

IX Jornadas Internacionales de Textiles Precolombinos y Amerindianos / 9th International Conference on PreColumbian and Amerindian Textiles, Museo delle Culture, Milan, 2022

El presente trabajo es la investigación de un grupo de chuspas provenientes del cementerio de la Huaca Malena. El objetivo fue analizar técnicamente aspectos de su elaboración e iconografía descubriendo así las características comunes que compartían, como los rasgos diferentes entre ellas. A simple vista este conjunto de chuspas puede parecer muy heterogéneo, sin embargo, existen algunos elementos que se comparten transversalmente, por ejemplo: la fibra, los colores y el ligamento textil, sin embargo, hay otros elementos diferentes creando sub tipos dentro del conjunto, por ejemplo: la forma, las dimensiones, la rotación de las urdimbres y los acabados. El proceso …

Festones En Pequeñas Vestimentas De Enterratorios De Altura (Capacocha), Verónica Cereceda Bianchi

IX Jornadas Internacionales de Textiles Precolombinos y Amerindianos / 9th International Conference on PreColumbian and Amerindian Textiles, Museo delle Culture, Milan, 2022

Los festones son bordados exteriores que se incorporan en prendas ya terminadas en un telar. En el presente texto intentamos un análisis de este tipo de terminaciones que circundaba las vestimentas de pequeñas estatuitas en esos importantes rituales de sacrificios infantiles que son las capacocha. Por la cantidad de reglas que implicaba su elaboración, tanto en lo que se refiere a su ubicación como en la sintaxis de su organización cromática, es posible considerarlos como verdaderos códigos que cumplían sus mensajes de comunicación y sus posibles poderes rituales, a partir de angostas listas de diferentes colores, sin necesidad de utilizar …

Notorious: John Singer Sargent's Madame X, Frankie M. Smith

SPARK Symposium Presentations

The meaning and controversy behind John Singer Sargent's Madame X painting.

Blanket Statements, Issue 166, Seminar 2024

Blanket Statements: News Publication of the American Quilt Study Group

Blanket Statements, Issue 166, Seminar 2024

Preventive Conservation Of Easel Paintings For Collectors In China: Navigating Challenges And Exploring Feasible Solutions, Di Lu

MA Theses

This thesis explores the unique challenges faced by art collectors in China, particularly those investing in easel paintings amidst the rapid growth of the Chinese art market. These collectors, often constrained by budget limitations and limited access to high-quality conservation materials and expertise, face significant risks in preserving their cultural assets. The study delves into these specific risks and challenges, aiming to identify feasible strategies for preventive conservation within the Chinese context. Through an extensive review of literature, qualitative interviews with conservators, collectors, and experts, and in-depth case studies, this research offers practical, cost-effective recommendations for alternative materials and methods …

Himalayan Murals, Himalayan Buddhist Murals: Styles, Symbolic Themes And Historical Evolution, Jiazhen Zhang

MA Theses

Himalayan Buddhist murals are decorative elements and represent profound artistic expressions laden with relevant cultural and religious values. Disseminated through monasteries and temples of the Himalayan regions, such as Tibet, Bhutan, and Nepal, these murals represent a unique blend of religious art and cultural identity. According to Jackson, mural art was a longterm tradition in these areas, starting from the eleventh Century and being influenced by different schools of Buddhism throughout history. Jing further posits that the tradition of art reflects an active interaction between religious concepts and local art styles, influenced by socio-political transformations and cultural contacts between the …

Five Quilts As Claims About Collage, Teaching, Learning & Being Together, Tim Abel

Textile Society of America: Symposium Proceedings

How can quilting and collage act as creative methods and modes of permission for understanding ways of relating in learning spaces, while also working to help make visible the interrelated nature of being together. Through the networking of personal reflection, lyric essay, theory and concrete reflections related to teaching, this presentation will take five examples of quilts (expansively defined as quilts, quilt-tops, collages, reclaimed and accumulated materials, collective/invitational works) as a way to make space for claims related to collage and pedagogy. This woven investigation helps to scaffod the learning process as a series of interconnected strands because when I …

Gny Rary Tsihy Tsy Enganay (‘We’Re Not Leaving The Mat Weaving’): Transitions Of Craft Practice In Southeast Madagascar, Sarah Emily Brown

Textile Society of America: Symposium Proceedings

In Sainte Luce, southeast Madagascar, livelihoods are in a state of transition due to climate change, deforestation, shifting local economies and globalisation. Activities passed on by the ancestors are not sufficient to meet everyday needs. In 2012, embroidery was introduced by an NGO as an alternative to the ancestral process of reed-weaving due to declining reed populations. Embroiderers have now formed a 100-strong independent cooperative.

My PhD fieldwork (2017-2019) explored the multifaceted dimensions of change for these craftswomen. In addition to the practicalities of mastering a new craft, they have renegotiated collaborative working patterns, obligations to kin and ancestors, flows …

One Thread At A Time: The Role Of Textile Crafts On Well-Being In Marginalized Communities, Michelle Burton, Bianka Hausknecht, Ja-Young Hwang, Kim Hahn, Jihyun Kim-Vick

Textile Society of America: Symposium Proceedings

Racial injustice and social unrest have spurred support for marginalized communities, historically excluded from mainstream society's activities. Marginalized individuals may often feel powerless and experience societal discrimination and negative stereotypes resulting in diminished well-being (WB). Consequently, finding resources to promote well being in marginalized communities is paramount. One possibility is exploring the art of textile crafts (e.g., repurposing, knitting, crocheting, and quilting) to serve as a platform for rupturing exclusionary hierarchies and oppressive frameworks, fostering empowerment and community cohesion.

In this qualitative study we conducted focus groups and individual interviews to better understand the impact on marginalized communities. Participants in …

Burning Fear, Amy Dorie

Textile Society of America: Symposium Proceedings

Climate change is leading to more intense and devastating wildfires that lead to tragic loss of life and property (Cal Fire, 2018; Sinco et al., 2023) and disturbing environmental impacts (OECD, 2023). The purpose of this textile design was to create an activist design that communicates the fear and anxiety felt by those impacted by wildfires. First-hand accounts of those experiencing wildfires were researched as inspiration for the textile design. Based on the accounts, a selection of wildfire-related images were cropped in irregular shapes, placed around the canvas, and blended evoking a sense of chaos and devastation. An image of …

Caring Cloth Praxis: Ethics Of Loss, Practices Of Remembering, Suzanna James

Textile Society of America: Symposium Proceedings

This research, in continual development as a part of early PhD study, is currently entitled ‘Ethics of Loss, Practices of Remembering’ and locates itself within the field of cultural sustainability. It is foregrounded by my MA thesis entitled ‘Caring Cloth’ and works in response to the words of Louise Bourgeois: ‘the needle is used to repair damage, its claim to forgiveness.’ My own socially and environmentally regenerative textiles practice considers the way in which personal practices of remembering can be developed in response to cultural sustainability.

This textiles practice develops explorative visual textile art and social textile practice research which …

23 Extinct Redwork Quilt Project: Repairing Relationships With Our More-Than-Human Kin, Stitch By Stich, Heather Kerley

Textile Society of America: Symposium Proceedings

In 2021, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service proposed 23 species for delisting from the Endangered Species Act due to extinction. I would like to present my redwork quilt, Mourning Lost Kin (23 Extinct), which honors each of these species. I plan to share my process from researching and sketching each species to the embroidering of each block and the over-all construction of the quilt. But most importantly, I would love to share the stories of these species, the layers of meaning in this quilt, and the many questions it raised for me over the course of two years. …

Stitches Of Sustainability: Empowering Women And Preserving Culture Through Pakko Embroidery, Rajesh Kumar, Dharmendra Bana, Deepali Bhatnagar

Textile Society of America: Symposium Proceedings

Pakko embroidery, originating from Gujarat’s Kutch district, stands as a testament to the area's rich textile tradition, marrying exceptional craftsmanship with profound cultural narratives. Currently facing the challenge of conserving its heritage while adapting to the evolving demands of the modern world, this study aims to identify pathways for cultural and economic resurgence.

Pakko embroidery, renowned for its sturdiness and the detailed cheereli saankdi stitch, finds itself at a critical crossroads, battling declining engagement and integration into modern design paradigms. Initiatives to rejuvenate interest and establish sustainable practices for artisans are deemed critical for preserving this ancient art for future …

Lambani Textiles: Oscillating Between The Past And The Present, Beena Santosh Modathi, Anjali Karolia

Textile Society of America: Symposium Proceedings

This paper examines the experiences of home-based women zardozi artisans in Bhopal, India, who use traditional embroidery skills to create fashionable products. It highlights the role of the traditional craft sector in promoting women's empowerment, enhancing economic well-being, and supporting sustainable development in the Global South. Through ethnographic research, including literature review and interviews, the study reveals the resilience of these artisans, many of whom come from low-income backgrounds with limited education. Despite modest earnings, Textiles embody narratives, legacies, and lineages. Indian traditional textiles, particularly those featuring strong Lambani embroidery, represent a dynamic interplay of ancestral techniques, motifs, and cultural …

Public Patriotism, Silent Dissent: Women And The Making Of Senninbari In Wartime Japan, Mariko Nagai

Textile Society of America: Symposium Proceedings

During the early years of the so-called “Fifteen Year War” (1931–1945), Japanese women and girls created senninbari when men received draft notices to serve. Often worn around soldiers’ waists underneath their uniforms, these sash-shaped talisman were embroidered with 1,000 red knots, each knot made by a woman. In a time when the Japanese government censored dissenting voices against its militaristic and nationalistic foreign and domestic policies, this government-encouraged gesture of stitching senninbari became one of the few ways in which women could voice their personal protests within patriarchal gender expressions (良妻賢母 “good wife, wise mother”). Senninbari’s design evolved with regional- …

Textile As Cultural Technology: The Evolution Of Robert Rauschenberg’S Jammers, 1975–6, Katya Oicherman

Textile Society of America: Symposium Proceedings

Robert Rauschenberg suggested that any material has a “humanitarian reportage” or a history built into it, that opens art to the “strange and unpredictable” experience only comparable to everyday reality. Developing this idea, I will focus on the Jammers, a series of works with significant textile presence produced in 1975–76, and discuss how Rauschenberg’s relationship to textiles evolved from treating them as “materials” to recognizing them as cultural technologies. In 1975 he was on a fellowship in Ahmedabad, India, a period of intense experimentation.

Textiles were already a significant presence in his art, playing a subservient role of materials …

Inconclusive Objects: Sample Making As Inquiry-Driven Practice, Etta Sandry

Textile Society of America: Symposium Proceedings

In Inconclusive Objects: Sample Making as Inquiry-driven Practice I will discuss craft sample making as a valuable practice of critical thought and experimentation. Craftspeople, artists, and designers make samples to practice technical skills and to demonstrate results on small scales. It is process work, typically used to learn a new technique or a hidden step on the way to a final product. However, as a cumulative process of research, material probing, and play, sampling is a critical aspect of design and creation. What can a closer study of sampling reveal about creative practice and knowledge production in craft and beyond? …