TEXTILE MUSEUM CURATORS PROMOTED
April 27, 2009, Washington, D.C. — The Textile Museum announced today that Sumru Belger Krody has been promoted to curator, Eastern Hemisphere Collections and Lee Talbot has been promoted to associate curator, Eastern Hemisphere Collections. Krody will continue to head the department and to pursue curatorial work in her area of expertise, including researching and cataloguing the museum’s collection of Islamic and Late Antique textiles, developing exhibitions, producing scholarly materials and interpreting the Museum’s collection through educational programs, and chairing the Museum’s staff Research, Publication, Library and Education task force. Talbot will continue to chair the Museum’s internal Exhibitions Task Force, acting as a liaison to the Board of Trustees, and to pursue curatorial work focused on the Museum’s collection of textiles from Korea, China and Japan through exhibitions, publications and programs. Krody previously held the position of associate curator, Eastern Hemisphere Collections, and Talbot previously held the position of assistant curator, Eastern Hemisphere Collections.
“We are pleased to recognize the outstanding work of these two curators, who foster The Textile Museum’s role as a leader in the scholarship and presentation of textiles from around the world,” said Maryclaire Ramsey, the museum’s CEO. “These individuals have built on The TM’s international reputation and paved the way for an exciting series of upcoming exhibitions, on topics ranging from Central Asian ikats to Chinese interiors.”
About Sumru Belger Krody
Krody has been with The Textile Museum for 15 years. She began as curatorial assistant, Eastern Hemisphere Collections, and has served as head of the department since 2001. Her previous exhibitions include Flowers of Silk & Gold: Four Centuries of Ottoman Embroidery (2004-5); Floral Perspectives in Carpet Design (2006); Harpies, Mermaids and Tulips: Embroidery of the Greek Islands and Epirus Region (2006); and Ahead of His Time: The Collecting Vision of George Hewitt Myers (2007-8). Flowers of Silk & Gold and Harpies, Mermaids and Tulips were both accompanied by fully illustrated catalogues resulting from Krody’s field research in Turkey, Greece and England. In addition to these original exhibitions, she has co-curated or coordinated numerous other shows during her tenure. Most recently Krody adapted the Textile Museum exhibition Timbuktu to Tibet: Rugs and Textiles of the Hajji Babas, on view October 18, 2008 through March 8, 2009, from the exhibition Woven Splendor from Timbuktu to Tibet: Exotic Rugs and Textiles from New York Collectors, shown at the New York Historical Society.
Beyond her exhibition experience, Krody has served as managing editor of The Textile Museum Journal since 1997 and contributed scholarly articles to HALI, Piecework, Shuttle, Spindle & Dyepot and other publications. She has given many presentations at The Textile Museum and at symposia and conferences across the United States and in Europe. Her professional affiliations include serving on the boards of the Textile Society of America and on the council of the Association of Art Museum Curators. Krody holds a B.A. from Istanbul University and a M.A. from the University of Pennsylvania. A native Turkish speaker, she is fluent in English and is proficient in German, Latin and ancient Greek.
About Lee Talbot
Lee Talbot joined The Textile Museum staff in April 2007 and the following year was co-curator of the acclaimed exhibition BLUE, which explored the historical and current use of indigo dye in textiles around the world. Prior to arriving at The Textile Museum, Talbot served three years as curator and lecturer at the Chung Young Yang Embroidery Museum at Sookmyung Women’s University, Seoul, Korea. From 2001 to 2003 he was a lecturer and teaching assistant at the Bard Graduate Center, after two years as the center’s public programs coordinator. His experience also includes work at the Brooklyn Museum of Art and Sotheby’s in New York, and at the Korea Foundation and Royal Asiatic Society in Seoul, Korea.
Talbot has published extensively, with articles in Arirang, HALI, and Studies in the Decorative Arts, as well as contributions to two exhibition catalogues at the Chung Young Yang Museum. He is currently pursuing his Ph.D. from the Bard Graduate Center for Studies in the Decorative Arts, Design and Culture. During his studies, he has been recognized with the Bard Graduate Center Ph.D. Fellowship, the Bonne Cashin Fund Fellowship and the Pittsburgh Foundation Walter Read Hovey Memorial Fund Fellowship. Talbot’s dissertation topic is “Women, Textiles and Upper-class Domestic Environments in Late Joseon Dynasty Korea.”
Lee Talbot holds degrees from the Bard Graduate Center for Studies in the Decorative Arts, Design and Culture (M.A.), the Thunderbird School of Global Management (M.B.A.), and Rhodes College (B.A.). He completed four semesters of Korean language study at Sookmyung Women’s University, Seoul, Korea as well as three academic years of Mandarin Chinese at the Taipei Language Institute. He is proficient in Mandarin Chinese, Korean and Spanish.
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About The Textile Museum
Established 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 Museum explores the role that textiles play in the daily and ceremonial life of individuals the world over. Special attention is given to textiles of the Near East, Asia, Africa and the indigenous cultures of the Americas. The Museum also presents exhibitions of historical and contemporary quilts, and fiber art. With a collection of more than 18,000 textiles and rugs, The Textile Museum is a unique and valuable resource for people locally, nationally and internationally.
The Textile Museum is located at 2320 ‘S’ Street, NW in Washington, D.C. The Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday 10 am to 5 pm and Sunday 1 pm to 5 pm. Admission is free with a suggested donation of $5 for non-members. For more information, call (202) 667-0441 or visit www.textilemuseum.org.
