Natalie Chanin and “Green” Artists Visit the TM this Summer

05/24/2011 — tmpressroom

In conjunction with the exhibition Green: the Color and the Cause, this summer will bring world-renowned artists and textile experts to The Textile Museum to share their insights into the world of green art.

The In Their Own Words: Artist Lecture Series features Green exhibiting artists, including couture fashion designer Natalie Chanin and Gyöngy Laky, a New York Times Magazine featured cover artist.    These contemporary artists will discuss their creative process and their work on view in Green: the Color and the Cause.  After the lecture, attendees are invited enjoy light refreshments with the artists in the beautiful TM gardens or to continue to explore the galleries, open late until 8.p.m following the program.

TM visitors will also have the opportunity to create their own green art through a series of hands-on Summer Arts Workshops.  These workshops range from easy afternoon projects, to more in-depth multi-day studies of specific topics and techniques.  Workshop sessions include natural dyeing, green crochet (taught by Green artist Jackie Abrams), silk screening, digital textile design, and textile storage and mounting (led by the TM’s own chief conservator Esther Méthé).  Registration to any multi-day workshop includes a one-year membership to the TM at the Individual level.  View more information about these workshops on our website.

Register for any workshop or program by calling (202) 667-0441 ext. 64.  A full listing of all upcoming programs at The Textile Museum can be viewed on our website.

In Their Own Words: Artist Lecture Series

Gyöngy Laky: Geometric Disturbances
Thursday, May 26, 6PM
Gyöngy Laky explores form, arrangement, dimensionality, material, texture, and pattern in her grids, vessels, and language sculptures. Laky uses screws, nails, dowels and wire with natural branches or commercial wood – even occasionally, charcoal, plastic soldiers, or post-consumer items.  Her art has been described as  both “elegant and ornery” and  “crude and tidy” and her piece The Green Issue on view in Green, was featured on the cover of an environmentally-focused New York Times Magazine. Join Laky as she divulges her concepts and methods.  Fee: $20/members; $25/ non-members. Advance registration is required. Call (202) 667-0441, ext. 64 or register online. Space is limited.

Natalie Chanin: “Life Is In the Details” 
Thursday, June 16, 6 PM
After a decade abroad as a stylist and filmmaker Natalie Chanin returned to her home in Florence, Alabama to begin the clothing line Alabama Chanin that has touched the lives of women who both make and wear her styles.  Natalie has pioneered a “slow design” movement; the fibers for her garments are grown in Texas, spun in Tennessee, knit in South Carolina, dyed in North Carolina and Mississippi, then cut, painted, and sewn entirely by hand in Florence, Alabama.  Join Natalie as she speaks candidly about the journey that brought her back to her roots and the unique business model that makes this artisan enterprise possible.  Fee: $20/members; $25/ non-members.  Advance registration is required. Call (202) 667-0441, ext. 64 to register or register online. Space is limited.

Michael F. Rhode: Functional to Conceptual
Thursday, July 7, 6 PM
Michael Rohde began hand-weaving flat rugs over thirty-five years ago. As his work evolved, it was influenced by the loom’s capabilities, inspirations from travel, and exposure to other textile traditions. Rhode began working in tapestries when the concept behind his weavings became more important than their function. Join him as he shares insight into his trajectory as a weaver and artist, and learn more about his work on view in the exhibition. Fee (includes refreshments): $20/members; $25/non-members. Call (202) 667-0441, ext. 64 to register or register online.

Summer Arts Workshops

“UP-CYCLE” YOUR PLASTIC BAGS
Saturday, June 18, 10 AM-4 PM
Green exhibition artist Jackie Abrams teaches you to make a strong, colorful and multi-purpose carrier using everyday plastic bags and the simple technique of crocheting. No experience is necessary. Although you may not be able to finish during class time, instructions will be provided to complete your bag at home. A short presentation of the development of a plastic bag crochet cooperative in Ghana is included.  Fee: $35/members, $45/non-members.  Participants must bring plastic bags (about 50), crochet hooks (size J or K), scissors (with long sharp blades), and a tape measure (optional).  Register online for this workshop.

THE GREEN ELEMENTS:
DIGITAL TEXTILE DESIGN AND PRINTING
Part I: Friday, July 15, 10:30 AM-4 PM
Part II: Saturday, July 16, 10:30 AM-4 PM
Part III: Sunday, July 17, 1-4 PM
This introductory workshop on creating and printing textile design is led by Hitoshi Ujiie, Professor at Philadelphia University and Heather Ujiie, Professor at Moore College of Design. The course is focused on designing and developing printed textiles with a “green” theme. Instruction includes file preparation, file formating and coloring. Participants also will learn the basic digital inkjet printing process.  Fee: $275/members, $335/non-members.  Computer equipment required as well as Photoshop skills.  Call (202) 667-0441, ext. 64 to register.

TEXTILE STORAGE AND MOUNTING
Part I (Storage): Wednesday, July, 20, 10 AM-4 PM
Part II (Mounting + Display): Thursday, July 21, 10 AM-4 PM
Anyone from the seasoned collector to the fiber artist needs to know how to properly store and mount their treasures. Attend this special two-day workshop led by Esther Méthé, The Textile Museum’s chief conservator, and learn the techniques and standards used by the experts.  Fee (includes materials); $170/members, $200/non-members.  Call (202) 667-0441, ext. 64 to register.

SHADES OF GREEN: NATURAL DYEING WORKSHOP
Part I: Friday, July 22 10:30 AM-4 PM
Part II: Saturday, July 23, 10:30 AM-4 PM
Part III: Sunday, July 24, 1-4 PM
Led by artist, weaver, and independent textile conservator Louise Wheatley, this vegetable dye workshop explores the three-part process of creating the color green. The first day will focus on mordanting various fabrics and fibers. During the second and third days participants will prepare dye pots with yellow producing plants, and then overdye them in an indigo vat to create many shades of green.  Fee (includes materials): $275/members, $335/non-members.  Call (202) 667-0441, ext. 64 to register.

TEXT IN DESIGN: SCREEN PRINTING WORKSHOP
Saturday, August 6, 2-4 PM
Explore the use of text in creating patterns on recycled wall art and textiles with artist Kristina Bilonick in this screen printing workshop. Participants should bring a favorite piece of text (such as a poem, quote, love letter, or lyrics) to use in their design. Using the drawing fluid technique for screen printing, you will create a stencil to print on recycled cardboard. In addition, attendees are encouraged to bring in old textiles to experiment on and give new life to old tee shirts, jackets, pillowcases, and curtains.  Fee (includes materials): $45/members, $55/non-members.  Participants should bring a favorite quote, and may choose to bring any additional textiles they wish to screenprint.  Register online for this workshop.

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Central Asian Family Festival on Feb. 12

01/21/2011 — tmpressroom

Kids explore ikat-dyeing in the Textile Learning Center

Enjoy a family-friendly festival featuring Central Asian music and food as well as hands-on art and textile activities on Saturday, February 12, 12-4 p.m. Visitors can:

  • Take part in Central Asian dance with the Silk Road Dance Company, including a huge dancing dragon inspired by Uzbek legends
  • Add Central Asian flare to their outfit by creating a kalpak—or high-crowned hat—and wearing it throughout the festival
  • Weave their own ikat textile on a pre-warped loom, making an original fabric to take home
  • Explore the exhibition Colors of the Oasis: Central Asian Ikats with a family guide
  • Enjoy tea and refreshments

All activities and demonstrations are free and no reservations are required!

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The TM to Host an After-Hours “Mod Madness” Event on August 18

08/04/2010 — tmpressroom

The Textile Museum will host its second after-hours “PM @ The TM” event on Wednesday, August 18, 6-9 p.m.—this time titled “Mod Madness” and in the spirit of Mad Men to coincide with its current exhibit of textile designs from the ’50s and ’60s. Step into the museum’s garden for cool drinks, noshes and live jazz by the Pete Muldoon Quartet. Escape the heat with gallery tours led by WE ARE SCIENCE and music by DJ Jahsonic in the exhibition Art by the Yard: Women Design Mid-Century Britain and enter to win prizes from area businesses and restaurants. Silk screen your own t-shirt or bag to take home with the Washington Printmakers Gallery. D.C.’s most fashionable will be on hand to nominate the “best mid-century dressed” – so show us your best fedoras, swing skirts and mod shifts!

Fee: $10 (includes two drink tickets/Textile Museum members; one drink ticket/non-members). Advance tickets recommended; purchase online here.

Presented in partnership with The Pink Line Project. Bring your wristband to The Front Page after the event to receive $2.50 cocktails. Prizes donated by PS7, Teaism, Farmers & Fishers, Eat & Smile and FRESHFARM Markets. Furniture provided by Design Within Reach.

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The Textile Museum to Kick Off Summer with Annual Two-Day Festival

05/12/2010 — tmpressroom

Celebration of TextilesThe Textile Museum will hold its 32nd annual Celebration of Textiles on Saturday, June 5, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. and Sunday, June 6, 1-5 p.m. This free festival for all ages, held rain or shine, invites visitors to explore the textile arts and cultures of the world through hands-on activities and artist demonstrations in the museum’s gardens, historic buildings and current exhibitions.

Program highlights for this year’s Celebration of Textiles festival include:

  • Live musical performances by acoustic roots duo Herb & Hanson (Sat., 2-4 p.m. and Sunday, 3-5 p.m.) who have performed at the Kennedy Center and Strathmore Hall, among other Mid-Atlantic venues
  • Hands-on activities, including block printing and bracelet making
  • Spinning, weaving, knitting, embroidery and indigo dyeing demonstrations
  • Delicious Indian food from Fojol Bros. of Merlindia (available for purchase)
  • Drawings for gift certificates to Teaism, Restaurant Nora, Kramerbooks and other Dupont Circle area businesses
  • Live sheep-shearing demonstrations

Please note: Activities and demonstrations vary on Saturday and Sunday. For full program details, visit www.textilemuseum.org. ALL ACTIVITIES ARE FREE.

Celebrating Local Students’ Art

On Saturday from 12:30-1 p.m. a ceremony will be held recognizing the students participating in this year’s Museum-School Partnership: a 1st grade class from Lafayette Elementary School; a 3rd grade class from Horace Mann Elementary School; and a 3rd-5th mixed grade level class from Matthew G. Emery Educational Center. Through this annual program, the museum educates Washington, D.C. students about textiles and the cultures that produce them, and works with students in the creation and display of their own textile artwork. Their creations will be unveiled on June 5 and will remain on view at The Textile Museum through the month.

Current Exhibitions

Visitors can explore the colorful and whimsical textile designs of three groundbreaking women in the exhibit Art by the Yard: Women Design Mid-Century Britain, on view May 15-September 12, 2010. Also on view is the complementary exhibit The Art of Living: Textile Furnishings from the Permanent Collection, featuring furnishing fabrics from cultures around the world.

History of Celebration of Textiles

The Celebration of Textiles festival started with the goal of inviting people to come in casually and learn about the techniques and cultures represented in the museum’s exhibitions, drawing in new audiences and offering an opportunity for people of all ages to explore the wonder and variety of textile art. While The Textile Museum now provides a variety of opportunities for children to learn about textiles year-round through school programs and the hands-on Activity Gallery of The Textile Learning Center, the spirit of Celebration of Textiles has remained constant. It aims to build a greater appreciation of the textile arts through intergenerational activities that can be enjoyed by children, parents, grandparents and friends alike.

Celebration of Textiles is funded in part by the D.C. Commission on the Arts & Humanities, an agency supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts. The festival is part of the Dupont-Kalorama Museums Consortium’s Museum Walk Weekend. For more information about Walk Weekend, visit www.dkmuseums.com.

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The Textile Museum to participate in 27th annual Museum Walk Weekend

04/02/2010 — tmpressroom

The Textile Museum, part of the Dupont-Kalorama Museums Consortium (DKMC), is pleased to announce its participation in the 27th Annual Museum Walk Weekend, showcasing the art, history, and culture of two historic Washington, D.C. neighborhoods this summer. Anderson House, Dumbarton House, Fondo del Sol Visual Arts Center, General Federation of Women’s Clubs, Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site, Meridian International Center, National Museum of American Jewish Military History, The Phillips Collection, The Textile Museum, and the Woodrow Wilson House will open their doors free of charge for this weekend-long celebration and chance to stretch your legs and your mind.
Museum Walk Weekend offers a variety of free activities for all ages. This year’s highlights include special museum exhibitions (covering everything from mid-century art and design to a president’s beloved walking sticks), DC Jazz Festival’s Jazz ‘n’ Families Fun Days at The Phillips Collection, popular food vendors, and a photo contest celebrating these neighborhood museums organized by Washington City Paper. Stay tuned to City Paper Events for more details about entry and prizes.
For the second year in a row, DKMC is also teaming up with the Washington Area Bicyclists Association to make Walk Weekend bicyclist friendly by providing a safe bike route and leading rides between sites.
An information table for the public, providing schedules and maps, will be situated at Dupont Circle on Saturday, June 5 and at the Dupont Circle FRESHFARM Market on Sunday, June 6.
The 27th Annual Museum Walk Weekend media sponsor is Washington City Paper. Museum Walk Weekend is supported by Cultural Tourism DC, with additional support provided by the Renaissance Dupont Circle Hotel.
Note: Not all museums will be open both days; event held rain or shine.
For more information or images, visit www.dkmuseums.org or contact Katy Clune at kclune@textilemuseum.org.

To view the press release (PDF), click here.

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Mid-Century Design Comes to Washington, D.C.

03/25/2010 — tmpressroom
Mahler Bird Chair

Untitled (Bird Chair), ca. 1953. Marian Mahler.

The fresh, innovative work of Lucienne Day (1917-2010) transformed the post-war British home and made stylish design available for all. The upcoming Textile Museum exhibition Art by the Yard: Women Design Mid-Century Britain showcases the work of Day and two of her contemporary female British designers: Jacqueline Groag (1903-1985) and Marian Mahler (1911-1983). Turning their backs on the austerity of the wartime era, Day, Groag, and Mahler took inspiration from modernist painters and helped pioneer a colorful and playful mid-century aesthetic, forever transforming the interior design industry. Art by the Yard: Women Design Mid-Century Britain is on view at The Textile Museum May 15 – September 12, 2010. About the Exhibition Featuring more than 50 colorful textiles drawn from the private Jill A. Wiltse and H. Kirk Brown III Collection of British Textiles, as well as select pieces of mid-century furniture, Art by the Yard is the first exhibit of its kind in Washington, D.C.  Magazines from the era featuring advertisements and profiles of these celebrity designers add context to the pieces on display. Noted as “full of imaginative fabrics by women who deserve more recognition” by Washington Post art critic Blake Gopnik, the exhibition opens in a year when high quality design on a limited budget is especially relevant.

The majority of the pieces in the exhibit were created by Lucienne Day, one of Britian’s most prolific and successful female designers. Her patterns, used for wallpapers, fabrics and tea towels, contributed to a distinctive 1950s and ‘60s aesthetic. Yet her sophisticated color choices and inventive references to nature remain surprisingly fresh. In 2005 Converse launched a shoe with her design Magnetic (1957), featured in the Textile Museum exhibition. Day, who passed away January 30, 2010, launched her career at the 1951 Festival of Britain. Her furnishing fabric Calyx, with its floating forms and bright colors, resonated with consumers and launched her international career. Along with her husband, furniture designer Robin Day, Lucienne believed in modern design’s transformative power to shape a better world and sought to create beautiful, useful objects accessible to all. Britain’s answer to American designer-duo Charles and Ray Eames, the Days became the poster couple for young and stylish homeowners.   

Select designs by Mahler and Groag are featured in Art by the Yard along with Lucienne Day’s work. Groag, originally from Czechoslovakia, is considered one of Britain’s most versatile designers. Her bold patterns were used for fabrics (both for the home and dress), furniture, wallpaper, and even in subway and airplane design. Mahler is renowned for her whimsical designs, with motifs ranging from birds to abstract forms. Her affordable textiles were seen in fashionable homes throughout Britain and complemented contemporary decorating styles. 

Untitled (Pebbles), ca. 1952. Jacqueline Groag.

The Textile Museum will present a full slate of exhibition-related programs to recall the era of Sputnik and Twiggy and bring the designs in Art by the Yard to life. Visiting scholars include Jennifer Harris, deputy director of the Whitworth Art Gallery at the University of Manchester, England and Dr. Pat Kirkham, professor at the Bard Graduate Center for the Studies in the Decorative Arts, Design and Culture. Look forward to period films such as The Best of Everything (screening in June) and a mid-century themed PM @ The TM after-hours party later in the summer. As Britain’s design industry was regaining momentum, Lucienne Day, Jacqueline Groag and Marian Mahler dared to offer a fresh approach to textile design in an era dominated by male professional artists. Believing that “good design” should be available for everyone, their products shaped the national aesthetic and continue to offer artistic inspiration and delight today.   

Art by the Yard: Women Design Mid-Century Britain is curated by Shanna Shelby (Curator, Jill A. Wiltse and H. Kirk Brown III Collection of British Textiles) and coordinated by Lee Talbot (Associate Curator, The Textile Museum). For more information or images, please contact Cyndi Bohlin at (202) 667-0441, ext. 78, or by e-mail at cbohlin@textilemuseum.org.

To request images online, CLICK HERE 

For the press release, CLICK HERE (pdf)

For a complete press kit, CLICK HERE (pdf)

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Sake tasting at The TM on March 12

02/22/2010 — tmpressroom

WHAT: Sake, an alcoholic beverage made from rice, has been crafted in Japan for millennia and is now enjoyed throughout the world. Join us for this special evening event and sample several varieties of fine sake. Attendees will also enjoy a curator-led tour of the museum’s current exhibition, Contemporary Japanese Fashion: The Mary Baskett Collection. Fee: $45/TM members; $55/non-members. Advance registration required; space is limited. Call (202) 667-0441, ext. 64 to register. Sponsored by Happi Enterprises.

WHEN: Friday, March 12, 6-8 p.m.

WHERE: The Textile Museum, 2320 S Street NW, Washington DC 20008; Metro: Dupont Circle, Q Street exit

MEDIA CONTACT: Cyndi Bohlin, (202) 667-0441, ext. 78 or cbohlin@textilemuseum.org

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This week’s programs at The TM postponed

02/10/2010 — tmpressroom

The Textile Museum remains closed today due to inclement weather. Please visit the museum’s website or call 202-667-0441 for the most current information on opening status.

The Textile Museum has also rescheduled the following programs originally planned for this week:

LUNCHTIME GALLERY TALK
Sourcing the West
POSTPONED TO WEDNESDAY, FEB. 17, 12 PM
Led by Rebecca A.T. Stevens, Consulting Curator, Contemporary Textiles. Free; no reservations required.

EVENINGS AT THE TM
Creative Impulses: Japanese Fashion and Textiles
POSTPONED TO FRIDAY, MARCH 26, 6 PM
Presented by Yoshiko Wada. Fee: $20/members; $25/non-members. Advance registration required; space is limited. SOLD OUT. To be added to the waiting list, call (202) 667-0441, ext. 64. Evenings at The TM is sponsored by Eleanor T. Rosenfeld.

MEMBERS’ GALLERY TALK AND TOUR
The Art of Living: Textile Furnishings from the Permanent Collection
POSTPONED TO SUNDAY, FEB. 21, 1 PM
Led by Associate Curator Lee Talbot. Free; reservations required. Call (202) 667-0441, ext. 64. Limited to 35 participants.

PUBLIC GALLERY TALK AND TOUR
The Art of Living: Textile Furnishings from the Permanent Collection
POSTPONED TO SUNDAY, FEB. 21, 2 PM
Led by Associate Curator Lee Talbot. Free; no reservations required. Limited to 35 participants.

MATSURI: A MIDWINTER JAPANESE FESTIVAL FOR FAMILIES
POSTPONED TO SUNDAY, MARCH 7, 1-5 PM
This free festival offers hands-on art activities, demonstrations and performances for all ages. Free; no reservations required. Presented in cooperation with the Japan-America Society of Washington, D.C.

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Arts for Families Program at The TM on Jan. 23

01/13/2010 — tmpressroom

MEDIA ALERT: January 13, 2010

WHAT: Explore The Textile Museum as a family during this ongoing program series. In this session, learn how people around the world communicate through fashion. Participants will visit stations where they will learn what their clothes communicate about textiles (Knit or weave? Natural or synthetic? Dyed or Applied?). They will identify the components of their own clothes and examine the function of different kinds of clothing for comfort, protection, warmth and other needs. Finally, they will create their own outfit by cutting out and applying fabric to paper fashion templates. This program is free with no reservations required.

WHEN: Saturday, January 23, 2010, 2-4 PM

WHERE: The Textile Museum, 2320 S Street NW, Washington DC 20008; Metro: Dupont Circle, Q Street exit

MEDIA CONTACT: Cyndi Bohlin, (202) 667-0441, ext. 78 or cbohlin@textilemuseum.org 

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Family First- Saturdays at the Textile Museum

04/17/2009 — tmpressroom

February 2 – May 3, 2008–
Family First Saturdays at The Textile Museum

Continuing the engaging Family First Saturdays series, The Textile Museum will offer four special programs the first Saturday of each month from 2-4 pm, beginning February 2 and ending May 3. FREE. No reservations required.

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