John Wetenhall Appointed Director of the George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum

04/10/2013 — tmpressroom

Washington, D.C.— John Wetenhall was appointed director of the George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum today. In this capacity, he will lead the development of the forthcoming university museum as well as transition The Textile Museum to the GW campus in fall 2014. Dr. Wetenhall will begin on June 1 and also will hold the appointment of associate professor of museum studies.

John Wetenhall

John Wetenhall

“John Wetenhall will take the lead in shaping a new kind of museum for GW. This is a one-of-a-kind partnership and we are confident that he will create a cultural destination that will be a leader in academic and cultural communities in D.C. and around the world,” said Steven Lerman, provost and executive vice president of academic affairs for George Washington. “His accomplishments in both the academic and artistic fields make him the ideal person to connect the strong traditions of scholarship and art in the new museum.”

Dr. Wetenhall, a highly regarded leader in the museum field, was named director following a ten-month national and international search by representatives of the George Washington University and The Textile Museum. He previously served in executive leadership roles at the Carnegie Museums in Pittsburgh; The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota, Fla.; and the Cheekwood Museum of Art in Nashville. Dr. Wetenhall is an experienced fundraiser having directed multi-million dollar capital campaign projects.  His experience extends to four major museum building projects, with such architects and firms as Edward Larrabee Barnes, Graham Gund, Herzog & DeMeuron and HOK.

“John Wetenhall has the background to blend business and art, which are key needs for 21st-century museums,” said Bruce P. Baganz, president of The Textile Museum Board of Trustees. “With his broad experience in the museum field, tremendous stature and entrepreneurial approach, we are positive that John will steer the new museum into an era that takes full advantage of the artistic, cultural, academic and technological assets that this partnership provides. His experience in successfully transitioning The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art to Florida State University is a testament to his ability to introduce the key strengths of The Textile Museum to the campus community.”

The new museum at GW will include dedicated galleries and increased exhibition space for The Textile Museum, the Albert H. Small Washingtoniana Collection and the university’s art collections. Exhibitions and programs will be presented to the public and will involve GW faculty and students in academic collaborations.

“The Textile Museum is internationally respected for its global collection, important exhibitions and scholarly publications.  The George Washington University is renowned for its outstanding programs in museum studies and museum education, as well as its rich collection documenting the nation’s capital,” said Dr. Wetenhall.  “The new museum creates at once a campus laboratory for museum training and innovation, while also presenting important art and historical artifacts of profound importance to both Washington, D.C. and the world. This is a magnificent professional opportunity and a chance to contribute meaningfully to the museum field.”

Dr. Wetenhall serves as vice chair and treasurer of the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) and chairs nominations for the U.S. National Committee of the International Council of Museums (ICOM-US).  In 2010, Dr. Wetenhall received the Museum Service Award from the Southeastern Museums Conference (SEMC) and the Florida Association of Museums’ (FAM) Lifetime Achievement Award.

He received a Ph.D. from Stanford University; an M.B.A. from Vanderbilt University; a master’s degree from Williams College; and a bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College. In addition to being a talented administrator, Dr. Wetenhall has served as a curator of European, American and contemporary art, and, as an art historian, has taught at Stanford University, Santa Clara University and the University of Minnesota.  He also has taught graduate courses in museum management and has been a featured speaker at numerous professional conferences.

“As a longtime admirer of Albert Small’s Washingtoniana Collection and as a proponent for the new museum, I am thrilled to have someone of Dr. Wetenhall’s caliber as its director,” said Robert Perry, a member of George Washington’s Board of Trustees and a participant on the search committee.  “This is a rare opportunity to have a D.C. museum on a university campus that will tell the story of the founding of our nation’s capital and that will be a destination museum for scholars, students and the public.”

Once at GW, the acclaimed programs and exhibitions involving The Textile Museum collection will continue, augmented by new opportunities for research and public engagement. The new museum will showcase The Textile Museum’s internationally-recognized collections of more than 19,000 pieces, which encompass the textile arts of peoples across the Near East, Central Asia, East and Southeast Asia, Africa and the indigenous cultures of the Americas. The 20,000-volume Arthur D. Jenkins Library of Textile Arts also will be housed in the new museum on GW’s Foggy Bottom campus. The Textile Museum exhibition “Out of Southeast Asia: Art that Sustains,” opening this Friday, April 12 and on view through October 13, 2013, is the final exhibition in the current museum building.

The university and The Textile Museum held a groundbreaking for the new museum in October 2012. The museum will be a custom-built building located at G and 21st streets, NW, and is expected to be completed by fall 2014.  A conservation and collections resource center at GW’s Virginia Science and Technology Campus in Ashburn, Va. also is under construction and will be completed in late 2013.

Contacts: Katy Clune, Communications and Marketing Manager, The Textile Museum, (202) 667-0441, ext. 77 or kclune@textilemuseum.org
Angela Olson, Media Relations Specialist, The George Washington University, (202) 994-3087, olsona@gwu.edu

Download a press release [PDF]

More information

 

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The Textile Museum to Change Hours in 2013

02/27/2013 — tmpressroom

Exhibitions Open through October 13, Programs and Museum Shop Open All Year

Washington, D.C.— The final exhibition at The Textile Museum before its 2014 reopening at the George Washington University will open on April 12, 2013. After the exhibition closes on October 13, 2013, The Textile Museum will reduce its current public hours. Visitors will still be able to visit the acclaimed Textile Museum Shop and the two historic homes of the museum’s founder, George Hewitt Myers, on Fridays through Sundays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., October 14 to December 31. After October 14, The Textile Museum will be closed to visitors Mondays through Thursdays to prepare for the upcoming move. The museum will offer programs and special events at its S Street location throughout 2013. In addition, the museum’s popular event rental program will continue throughout the year.

The upcoming exhibition, “Out of Southeast Asia: Art That Sustains,” (April 12 through October 13), will feature the work of Carol Cassidy, the husband-wife team Agus Ismoyo and Nia Fliam, Vernal Bogren Swift and historical textiles from the museum’s collections. By pairing recent artworks with 16 treasures from the museum’s collections, “Out of Southeast Asia” asserts the beauty of the region’s textiles and demonstrates how contemporary makers help to preserve these art forms even as they interpret them in new and innovative ways. As The Textile Museum prepares to move to its new location, “Out of Southeast Asia: Art that Sustains” provides a fitting visual link between the past, present and future while demonstrating the continued relevance of traditional textiles.

The Arthur D. Jenkins Library of Textile Arts, one of the world’s foremost resources for the study of the textile arts, will be open by appointment only beginning October 14, 2013. This non-circulating, 20,000-volume library will reopen to the public in the new museum facility on the campus of the George Washington University.

About The Textile Museum and the George Washington University

The Textile Museum will reopen in a forthcoming museum on the campus of the George Washington University in the fall of 2014. Exhibitions and programs will be presented to the public through this unprecedented affiliation between a university and an existing art museum with a respected 88-year history. The Textile Museum plans to continue many of its acclaimed programs, and the affiliation creates new opportunities for research and innovative public resources.

The new museum will be a custom-built, approximately 46,000-square-foot building located at G and 21st Streets, NW. It will include dedicated galleries and increased exhibition space for The Textile Museum, the Albert H. Small Washingtoniana Collection and the university’s art collections. A groundbreaking ceremony was held in October 2012, substantial construction work will be completed on the facilities in December 2013, and the public opening is anticipated for fall 2014.

In addition to the new museum in Foggy Bottom, the university will construct a 22,000-square-foot conservation and resource center at its Virginia Science and Technology Campus in Ashburn, Va., for the care and study of the museum’s collections. Textile Museum staff are currently preparing the 19,000 pieces in the museum’s collection for the move to the new storage facility, a process which is being documented on the museum’s tumblr page:
http://textile-museum.tumblr.com/
 

About The Textile Museum

The Textile Museum expands public knowledge and appreciation—locally, nationally and internationally—of the artistic merit and cultural importance of the world’s textiles. Founded in 1925 by George Hewitt Myers, The Textile Museum is an international center for the exhibition, study, collection and preservation of the textile arts. The Textile Museum collection encompasses more than 19,000 objects that date from 3,000 BCE to the present. The museum’s 20,000 volume Arthur D. Jenkins Library of Textile Arts is among the world’s foremost resources for the study of textiles. The Textile Museum is located at 2320 ‘S’ Street, NW in Washington, D.C. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. through October 13, 2013. An $8 suggested admission is requested of non-members. In the fall of 2014, The Textile Museum will reopen as a primary cornerstone of the forthcoming George Washington University Museum (G and 21st Streets NW). For more information, visit www.gwu.edu/textilemuseum or
http://textilemuseum.org/tmatgw/
.

Please Note: Beginning October 14, 2013, The Textile Museum will not have an exhibition on view. The Textile Museum Shop will remain open Fridays through Sundays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. from October 14 through December 31, 2013. The Textile Museum will offer a variety of special events and programs throughout the transition in 2013 and 2014. Visit
http://www.textilemuseum.org/calendar/
 for the most up-to-date list of events.

Download a press release [PDF]

High-resolution images

Contact: Katy Clune, Communications and Marketing Manager, (202) 667-0441, ext. 77 or kclune(at)textilemuseum.org

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“Out of Southeast Asia: Art That Sustains” Final Exhibition on S Street Showcases Four Contemporary Artists

01/15/2013 — tmpressroom
Verna Bogren Swift Garden of Earthquakes

Vernal Bogren Swift, A Garden of Earthquakes (detail), 2007–08. Collection of the artist.

The final exhibition at The Textile Museum before its 2014 reopening will showcase the textile traditions of Southeast Asia and demonstrate how four contemporary artists integrate the best of the past into new works. “Out of Southeast Asia: Art That Sustains,” (April 12 through October 13, 2013), features the work of Carol Cassidy, the husband-wife team Agus Ismoyo and Nia Fliam, and Vernal Bogren Swift. The exhibition centers on Indonesia and Laos, but takes up a question faced by nations around the world: How can long-inherited art forms be carried forward in meaningful ways by future generations? By pairing recent artworks with 16 treasures from the museum’s collections, “Out of Southeast Asia” asserts the beauty of these traditional textiles and demonstrates how contemporary makers help to preserve these art forms even as they interpret them in new and innovative ways.

“Out of Southeast Asia: Art That Sustains” is the final exhibition The Textile Museum will present in its historic S Street buildings as it prepares to reopen in 2014 as a cornerstone of the forthcoming George Washington University Museum. Beginning October 14, 2013, The Textile Museum Shop will be open Fridays through Sundays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., through December 31, 2013. Programs and special events will be offered throughout the transition; visit the museum’s calendar online for the most up-to-date schedule.

As The Textile Museum prepares to move to its new location, “Out of Southeast Asia: Art That Sustains” provides a fitting visual link between the past, present and future while demonstrating the continued relevance of traditional textiles. In addition to precious examples of handmade batik from Indonesia, the ethnic weaving of northeast Laos presents exotic new forms rarely seen in this country. “Out of Southeast Asia” extols how these textiles—both familiar and not—inspire today’s creations.

Carol Cassidy

“Out of Southeast Asia: Art That Sustains” includes six hangings, scarves and upscale upholstery by artist Carol Cassidy. While her works employ traditional Lao motifs, Cassidy often increases their scale and uses a simple color palette, resulting in panels with a distinctly contemporary feel. The artist first visited Laos in 1989, while serving as an advisor to a United Nations weaving project. While there, Cassidy chose to stay and establish her own weaving enterprise with the mission to preserve local skills and techniques. In the following 20 years, Cassidy’s studio has grown into a professional, large-scale commercial business, while staying true to the designs and idiosyncrasies that define Laos’s weaving. Lao Textiles, the enterprise Cassidy established in Vientiane in 1990, was awarded the Product Excellence Award by UNESCO in 2001. In 2002, Cassidy received the Preservation of Craft award from Aid to Artisans. Today, Cassidy’s studio produces artistic textiles and upscale upholstery used by designers in Paris, London and New York, and the success of her enterprise has resulted in a resurgence of local weaving.

Agus Ismoyo and Nia Fliam, Father Sky Mother Earth

Agus Ismoyo and Nia Fliam, Father Sky Mother Earth (Bapak Langit Ibu Bumi) (Back), 2005. On loan from Margrit Benton and Mark Nelson.

Nia Fliam and Agus Ismoyo

Artists Nia Fliam and Agus Ismoyo are primarily interested in Indonesian batik (wax-resist patterned cloth). Seen on countless beach wraps and home-décor items today, batik was perfected in the courts of Java, where certain motifs were considered powerful in both political and spiritual terms. In 2009, UNESCO added batik to its list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Today, commercial batik production is mechanized, leaving it to artists such as the Ismoyos to perpetuate the spirit of this centuries-old art. As demonstrated in the seven complex, colorful silk hangings on view in “Out of Southeast Asia,” Fliam and Ismoyo employ batik’s motifs and techniques in entirely new ways. Their effort to bring traditional imagery into the 21st century also extends past Indonesia—the artists frequently speak of an interest in finding “the DNA of our world culture” through exploring commonalities between ancient art forms. Following this interest, the artists have partnered with indigenous communities around the world, and the exhibition includes a collaboration with aboriginal Australian artists. “Out of Southeast Asia: Art That Sustains” also includes the sculpture “Tree of Life VIII (Pohon Hayati VIII),” a 3D tribute to a design used by cultures around the world.


Vernal Bogren Swift

“Out of Southeast Asia: Art That Sustains” is the Washington, D.C. debut for Vernal Bogren Swift. The finest Indonesian batiks employ patterns—both bold and minute—across the entire surface. Swift integrates this aesthetic into her storybook-like illustrations of myths, legends and old wives tales—drawn from her extensive travels and the strong oral history tradition present on Haida Gwaii (British Columbia, Canada), where she currently lives. Originally from Kansas, Swift taught herself batik more than 40 years ago. Intrigued by the medium’s emphasis on small patterns, Swift traveled to Indonesia to learn traditional batik. Recently, she has developed means to use more natural dyes (such as pomegranate) in her practice. The works on view in “Out of Southeast Asia” are typical of Swift’s style, which pushes batik patterning into new applications. The three large triptychs on view take up magical subjects: “Early Lessons and Lies,” “A Garden of Earthquakes” and “Moons under Sea.”

About the Exhibition

“Out of Southeast Asia: Art That Sustains” is curated by Dr. Mattiebelle Gittinger, one of the foremost researchers and scholars in the field of Southeast Asian textiles. Gittinger received her PhD from Columbia University in 1972. Since the 1970s, she has conducted extensive fieldwork across Southeast Asia, India, Myanmar (Burma), Europe and the Middle East. During her 38 years at The Textile Museum, Gittinger has organized several important exhibitions, each accompanied by a highly-regarded catalog. “Out of Southeast Asia: Art that Sustains” is made possible in part through grants from the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation and the Asian Cultural Council. 

About The Textile Museum

The Textile Museum expands public knowledge and appreciation—locally, nationally and internationally—of the artistic merit and cultural importance of the world’s textiles. Founded in 1925 by George Hewitt Myers, The Textile Museum is an international center for the exhibition, study, collection and preservation of the textile arts. The Textile Museum collection encompasses more than 19,000 objects that date from 3,000 BCE to the present. The museum’s 20,000 volume Arthur D. Jenkins Library of Textile Arts is among the world’s foremost resources for the study of textiles. The Textile Museum is located at 2320 ‘S’ Street, NW in Washington, D.C. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. through October 13, 2013. An $8 suggested admission is requested of non-members. In the fall of 2014, The Textile Museum will reopen as a primary cornerstone of the forthcoming George Washington University Museum (G and 21st Streets NW). For more information, visit www.gwu.edu/textilemuseum or
http://textilemuseum.org/tmatgw/
.

Please Note: Beginning October 14, 2013, The Textile Museum will not have an exhibition on view. The Textile Museum Shop will remain open Fridays through Sundays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. from October 14 through December 31, 2013. The Textile Museum will offer a variety of special events and programs throughout the transition in 2013 and 2014. Visit
http://www.textilemuseum.org/calendar/
 for the most up-to-date list of events.

PRESS PREVIEW: Wednesday, April 10, 9:30 a.m. Join us for a curator-led tour of the exhibition and the opportunity to learn more about The Textile Museum’s move in 2014. RSVP to kclune@textilemuseum.org.

IMAGES: Preview high-resolution images (PDF). To request print-ready files, email info@textilemuseum.org.

DOWNLOAD A PRESS RELEASE

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The Textile Museum Shop is Ready for the Holiday Season

11/30/2012 — tmpressroom

Image

Oya Crochet Earrings ($29.95)

The Textile Museum Shop is ready for the holiday season, and is the perfect place to buy one-of-a-kind gifts. 

Voted one of the best museum shops in Washington, D.C. by both Frommer’s and Apartment Therapy, the shop carries beautiful gifts in every price range, from embroidered bags, to silk scarves, to unique housewares. For the indecisive, gift certificates are also available.

In keeping with the current exhibition The Sultan’s Garden: The Blossoming of Ottoman Art, visitors will find plenty of floral patterns and handmade items from Turkey and its surrounding countries.  The catalog for that exhibition is also available for sale, and makes an excellent gift for any textile enthusiast.

One of the shop’s most popular annual events, The Member VIP Shopping Weekend, will be December 7-9.  Members get a 25% discount on all purchases (members receive a 10% discount the rest of the year) both in the shop and online.

Image

Twoolie knit animals – Mexico ($18)

The shop is open to the public during regular museum hours (Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sunday 1-5 p.m.) as well as during after-hours programs such as special lectures and events.  And The Textile Museum Shop is open 24/7 on the web at textilemuseumshop.org.

Proceeds from shop sales support the museum and allow it to continue its mission to expand public knowledge and appreciation – locally, nationally, and internationally – of the artistic merits and cultural importance of the world’s textiles.

 
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Former Textile Museum Board President Edwin Zimmerman Passes Away

10/17/2012 — tmpressroom

The Textile Museum mourns the passing of Edwin M. Zimmerman, former president of The Textile Museum Board of Trustees, who passed away on Saturday, October 6, 2012 at his home.  A partner at Covington and Burling practicing in antitrust law since 1969, a published poet, and a carpet aficionado, Mr. Zimmerman was 88. 

An avid rug collector, Zimmerman was the President of the Board of Trustees of The Textile Museum from 1986 until 1996. Following his retirement, Mr. Zimmerman was named Trustee Emeritus to the museum in recognition of his contributions.  He also received the TM’s Award of Distinction in 2008.

Bruce P. Baganz, president of the Textile Museum Board of Trustees, said of the late Mr. Zimmerman:  “Ed was a devoted supporter of The Textile Museum and its mission to expand knowledge of the artistic merit and cultural importance of the world’s textiles. It was under his tireless leadership as board president that the institution made considerable advances in strengthening its best practices in museum operations. Today, following Ed’s initiatives, The Textile Museum’s professionalism is exemplary in the museum field. The entire TM board and staff express their heartfelt condolences to his family for their loss.”  

Mr. Zimmerman was born in New York, New York to immigrant parents, Tobie Fuchs Zimmerman and Benjamin Zimmerman, who came to the U.S. as a 12 year-old with a sewing machine hanging from his neck, and made a living as a tailor in New York’s Garment District. Zimmerman received his LLB from Columbia University Law School in 1949, served clerk to Supreme Court Justice Stanley Reid, was a professor at Stanford University Law School, and Assistant Attorney General, Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.  He was a Founding Trustee of the Natural Resources Defense Council, member of the Council of the Administrative Conference of the United States, the Manufacturing Studies Board, National Academy of Science, and the Washington Textile Group. He was also a poet, and was a member of the Capitol Hill Poetry Group and Folger Shakespeare Library’s Poetry Board.

The Zimmerman family is making plans to memorialize Mr. Zimmerman at The Textile Museum in November. For more details, please contact info@textilemuseum.org. 

An obituary for Mr. Zimmerman is available at The Washington Post.

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Textile Museum to Honor Walter B. Denny with 2012 George Hewitt Myers Award

08/29/2012 — tmpressroom
Walter Denny

Prof. Walter B. Denny, this year’s George Hewitt Myers Award Recipient.

The Textile Museum will honor Walter B. Denny as the 2012 recipient of the George Hewitt Myers Award for lifetime achievement in the textile arts. The Myers Award, named for The Textile Museum’s founder and given by the Board of Trustees, is recognized as the highest accolade in the field of textile arts. Denny is a scholar, author, educator and widely recognized expert on Islamic art, ceramics of the Ottoman Empire, and oriental carpets. He is professor of art history and adjunct professor of Middle Eastern studies at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. The award will be presented during a special reception at the Turkish Embassy Chancery on October 11, 2012 in Washington, D.C.

Previous recipients of the George Hewitt Myers award include scholar and artist Milton Sonday (2011); author and publisher Michael Franses (2010); scholars Mattiebelle Gittinger (2009) and Jon Thompson (2008); collector and philanthropist Lloyd Cotsen (2007); the late Josephine Powell (2006), an ethnographer and photographer; and textile designer Jack Lenor Larsen (2005).

Throughout his fifty-year career, Denny’s research, publications and teaching have helped cement the importance of textiles alongside other media in Islamic art history. In addition to Islamic carpets and textiles, Denny’s specialties include the study of the art and architecture of the Islamic world, in particular the artistic traditions of the Ottoman Turks, Islamic imagery in European art, and issues of economics and patronage in Islamic art. His ability to synthesize expertise from these different areas and draw new, insightful conclusions sets Denny’s scholarship apart from his peers. In recognition of the impact of his research, Denny was awarded the Joseph V. McMullan Award for stewardship and scholarship in Islamic rugs and textiles in 2003 by the Near Eastern Art Research Center. Denny is the co-curator for The Textile Museum’s fall 2012 exhibition “The Sultan’s Garden: The Blossoming of Ottoman Art”. The exhibition, and its accompanying catalog, chronicles how a new floral style in the mid-16th century came to embellish nearly all media produced by the Ottoman court.

Regarding Denny, Bruce P. Baganz, president of The Textile Museum’s Board of Trustees says, “Walter Denny has devoted his career to investigating the arts of the Islamic world – and most importantly highlighting the cultural importance of textiles. In order to appreciate the richness of historical information held by textiles, one must command knowledge not only of art history, but also political, economic and social history. We are honored to have Walter Denny return to co-curate another exhibition with us, and look forward to honoring his compelling scholarship this October.”

Denny began his studies at Robert College in Istanbul developing his lifelong career as a distinguished expert on the culture and history of the region. After graduating from Oberlin College, Denny began graduate studies in the department of Fine Arts at Harvard University. To aid his research in 16th-century Ottoman ceramics, Denny returned to Turkey on a Fulbright Fellowship at the Istanbul Technical University before earning his doctorate in 1970. Since then, Denny has been a faculty member at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and has previously been director for both the Art History department and the Near Eastern Studies department.

“Walter is an art historian with the rare ability to communicate his love and extensive knowledge to a wide range of people. Students, fellow academics, and the public alike can’t help but be captivated,” says Sumru Belger Krody, co-curator of the exhibition “The Sultan’s Garden”.“Walter’s research is always engaging as he constantly draws new connections.”

As an educator for more than forty years, Denny has helped shape today’s rising generation of art historians. However, Denny’s impact also extends far beyond the classroom. Between 1970 and 2000, Denny was the Honorary Curator of Rugs & Textiles at the Harvard University Art Museums, and for the past five years he has been Senior Consultant in the Department of Islamic Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He has curated numerous exhibitions, and often delivers lectures at universities, museums, and cultural centers, and recent publications include “Gardens of Paradise: Ottoman Turkish Tiles of the 15th–17th Centuries” (Istanbul, 1998); “Masterpieces of Anatolian Carpets from the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts, Istanbul” (Bern, 2001); “Ipek: Imperial Ottoman Silks and Velvets” (London, 2002); and “The Classical Tradition in Anatolian Carpets” (Washington D.C., 2002).

To download a press release (PDF), click here.

For more information and images, contact Katy Clune, Communications Manager. (202) 667-0441, ext. 77

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The Sultan’s Garden: The Blossoming of Ottoman Art Opens September 21

08/16/2012 — tmpressroom

Loom-width of ogival-layout kemha
Istanbul
Third quarter 16th century
TM 1.50
Acquired by George Hewitt Myers in 1951

A mighty Empire says it with flowers…

This September, The Textile Museum in Washington, D.C. will open The Sultan’s Garden: The Blossoming of Ottoman Art (September 21, 2012–March 10, 2013). The exhibition and its accompanying catalog chronicles how one of the world’s most powerful empires adopted a singular artistic style and how that style gained lasting influence in the region.  Just as the brands of today strive to do—from political candidates to consumer products—the Ottoman Empire represented itself at home and abroad through a single, instantly recognizable visual aesthetic.  The stylized tulips, roses, carnations, and other flowers came to embody the influence of the empire, and continue to epitomize the arts of Turkey. Through 58 works of art drawn from the best of The Textile Museum’s collections and private and institutional loans “The Sultan’s Garden”reveals the lasting impact of this stylistic revolution.

Debut of the “Floral Style”

Ottoman art reflects the wealth, abundance, and influence of an empire which spanned seven centuries and, at its height, three continents.  Ottoman court style developed during successions of sultans and changes in the court’s design workshop. Prior to 1550, Ottoman art had primarily employed an artistic language common to the greater Islamic world and frequently depicted geometrical designs, fantastical animals, and flora.  However, under Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent (r. 1520–1566), a single artist—Kara Memi—introduced a new design repertoire inspired by forms found in nature. The stylized tulips, carnations, hyacinths, honeysuckles, roses, and rosebuds immediately gained popularity across a broad range of media, carrying connotations of Ottoman court patronage, luxury, and high taste.

A Style which Blossomed Across the Empire

An age-old Turkish, and specifically Ottoman, fascination with flowers accounts in part for the widespread adoption of this new artistic style. Flowers and flower gardens were an important feature of Ottoman upper class and court culture. In the sultan’s palace, flowers embellished architectural tiles, opulent textiles (such as velvets), and monumental carpets. While abundant at court, trade also introduced nomadic communities in the far reaches of the empire to the floral style. Despite being far from the capital city, and far from ornamental gardens, artisans in small villages and nomadic encampments emulated these stylized blooms. The floral style continues to embody Turkish culture: Turkey’s tourism bureau markets the nation with a tulip logo.

Dish with a design of saz leaves and red carnations

Dish with a design of saz leaves and red carnations
Îznik, ca. 1600
Metropolitan Museum of Art 66.4.14
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1966

International Influence

The floral style on view in “The Sultan’s Garden”has had a lasting impact over the past four centuries on the later Ottoman Empire, modern Turkey, the broader Islamic world, and Europe. Court workshops exported luxury items to European customers whose own economies lacked either the technology, tradition, or access to materials to produce such goods themselves. For example, in Russia, there was no local capability to weave the complex patterned silks made popular by the Ottoman Empire, so fabric was imported and adapted. Included in the exhibition is a collar from a liturgical cope made in Russia, but embroidered with Ottoman flowers. Floral style patterns also appear on costumes in Italian Renaissance portraiture and influenced designers of the Arts and Crafts Movement in Great Britain, including William Morris.

About the Exhibition and Catalog

Visitors to the exhibition will be surrounded by some of the most opulent and beautiful works of art created in the Islamic world. “The Sultan’s Garden”includes court costume, horse adornment, vestments, carpets, brocaded silks, velvets, and furnishings from The Textile Museum. Additional exceptional pieces are drawn from private collections, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Saint Louis Art Museum. Two pieces of Iznik ceramics will be on view, demonstrating the cross-media impact of this movement. The exhibition is co-curated by Walter B. Denny, professor of art history at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and Charles Grant Ellis research associate in oriental carpets at The Textile Museum, and Sumru Belger Krody, senior curator for Eastern Hemisphere Collections at The Textile Museum. A 192-page, full-color catalog titled “The Sultan’s Garden: The Blossoming of Ottoman Art”accompanies this exhibition. Starting in September, the catalog will be available for sale at The Textile Museum Shop or at www.textilemuseum.org.

Major support for “The Sultan’s Garden” is provided by The Coby Foundation, Ltd., Art Mentor Foundation Lucerne, and Bruce P. and Olive W. Baganz. Additional generous support is provided by Sylvia Bergstrom and Joe Rothstein, BHP Billiton Petroleum, Walter B. Denny and Alice Robbins, Alastair and Kathy Dunn, and Marshall and Marilyn R. Wolf.

Supporting Programs

Visit the museum Saturday, September 22 to enjoy a complimentary drink from a Turkish coffee truck! 

The 40th annual Textile Museum Fall Symposium will explore Ottoman art during October 12–14. Titled “Ottoman by Design: Branding an Empire,” this symposium features lectures by leading scholars including exhibition co-curator Prof. Walter B. Denny.

On October 11, The Textile Museum board of trustees will honor Denny with the 2012 George Hewitt Myers Award. Recognizing an individual’s lifetime achievements to furthering the field of the textile arts, the award celebrates Denny’s exceptional research in Islamic art and architecture and his efforts to include textiles alongside other artistic media.

The Sultan’s Garden is a participating event of Turkish Heritage Month (September 2012), organized by the American Turkish Association of Washington, DC.

PRESS PREVIEW: Tuesday, Sept. 18 at 9:30 a.m. RSVP to kclune@textilemuseum.org.

IMAGES: Preview high-resolution images. To request print-ready files, email kclune@textilemuseum.org.

DOWNLOAD A PRESS RELEASE

Posted in Exhibits, Press Releases. Tags: , , , , , . Leave a Comment »
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