TEXTILE MUSEUM CURATORS PROMOTED

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.

Ervin-Cevik Imports, Mooresville, Va

Unique friendship blooms within Mooresville store

By Melinda Skutnick | Mooresville Tribune

Published: April 24, 2009

To business partners Rick Ervin and Vedat Cevik, their Mooresville rug store is more than a retail outlet; it's the reflection of a friendship that brought the two men together.

Although the doors to Ervin-Cevik Imports – specializing in both handmade and reproduced Turkish rugs and carpets –opened in November 2008, the story that brought both men to downtown Mooresville began years earlier in western Iraq.

Vedat Cevik, a native of Adana, Turkey, was running a rug store on a United States military base at Al Asad in Iraq when Rick Ervin, a Troutman native, wandered in.

Cevik was 17 and a fourth generation rug maker and salesman, carrying on the trade from his father. Ervin was a 54-year-old American contractor, working in Iraq with a strong interest in Oriental rugs.

The two met by chance.

In Turkey, said both Cevik and Ervin, a rug store is more than a retailer; it's a comfortable environment where people relax for hours at a time, sharing stories over cigars and cups of tea.

"I started hanging out at the rug store," said Ervin. "Even bought a rug or two."

Cevik jokingly responded, "I gave him a good deal."

Gradually, the two men formed a friendship over mutual interests.

Since his first Oriental rug purchase in 1983, Ervin said he'd always had a unique love for the handmade rugs and carpets created far from his American home. And Cevik – a man who grew up next to an American air force base in Turkey – said he dreamt of living in the United States, always yearning to relocate his life to a place he'd only seen in the movies.

In 2006, with a strong friendship as the backbone of their business-partner relationship, Ervin began helping Cevik obtain a work visa to come to the U.S. Two years later, in November 2008, the Turkish man finally made his journey to Mooresville and Ervin-Cevik Imports opened for business.

Individually, said Ervin, the men bring different qualities to their new business.

"He's got the expertise and the drive," said Ervin. "I just love rugs. I've learned a lot from him."

But Cevik, now 21, said he's experiencing his dream of living in the United States, even if he's yet to venture beyond the Mooresville region.

"I like Mooresville," Cevik said. "I'm going to stay here. I'm not going back to Turkey."

Ervin said his family – which includes his wife Margo, a daughter and granddaughter – practically "adopted" Cevik the moment he arrived, welcoming him into their home.

Currently Cevik is regularly taking English language courses at Mitchell Community College to obtain his GED. After that, he wants to pursue a degree at MCC.

"I hope to stay here for a long time," he said.

As for their store, business has been slow thus far, but as word continues to spread throughout the community, Ervin said he hopes the rug retailer flourishes.

"We knew going into this it was going to take a year," he said, noting that the men find it more important to create a welcoming, relaxing environment within their store, similar to the rug outlets in Turkey.

Added Ervin, "We try to make it a warm, inviting place."

Regularly welcoming passersby into their store for a cup of apple tea, Cevik said they don't really "sell" rugs and carpets. "The carpet chooses you," he said. "I just show you."

Cevik and Ervin offer a variety of handmade and machine-made replicas of Turkish and other Oriental rugs, carpets, scarves, tablecloths and pillowcases. Their rugs cost from $200 to $9,000.

Also, on the second Friday of each month, the store offers a "rug-buying class" at 6 p.m. where guests can learn about "what to look for when you're buying a rug."

Ervin-Cevik Imports, 240 N. Main St., is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and by appointment each Sunday.

For more information, contact them at 704-660-1100 or Ervin-CevikImports@hotmail.com

Textile Museum Elects Paul N. Schwartz to Board of Trustees

The Textile Museum Elects Paul N. Schwartz to Board of Trustees

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April 23, 2009, Washington, D.C. — The Textile Museum announced today that Paul N. Schwartz was elected to the Museum’s Board of Trustees at their April 3, 2009 meeting. On accepting his appointment to the Board, Schwartz said “I am pleased to join The Textile Museum’s unique and far-reaching community as a member of the Board of Trustees. I believe the Museum fulfills a singular role in the field and is well positioned in today’s economy with a balanced budget and a committed core constituency.” He serves on the board’s Budget and Finance, Development and Audit Committees.

Schwartz brings extensive business management experience to The Textile Museum’s Board of Trustees. In April 2006 he retired from the position of president and chief financial officer for MAXXAM Inc., a holding company for timber products, real estate and other interests, after 26 years with the organization. From 1973 to 1980, he served as senior vice president of finance for the Student Loan Marketing Association (“Sallie Mae”). Schwartz has also served on the boards of corporate and not-for-profit organizations, including Plainfield Direct Inc., a privately held business development company (2007-present), the Houston Symphony (2002–2006), United Financial Group (1988-1999) and SLM Funding Corporation (1995-1998), a subsidiary of Sallie Mae.

“Paul Schwartz offers the Museum strong financial experience and a keen business sense,” said Bruce P. Baganz, president of the Museum’s Board of Trustees. “We are pleased to welcome him to the board and anticipate his new ideas and fresh perspective.”

Schwartz is a graduate of New York University (B.A.) and Columbia University (M.B.A.). He resides with his wife Barbara in Houston, Texas.

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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 and an unparalleled library, The Textile Museum is a unique and valuable resource for people locally, nationally and internationally.

The Textile Museum Announces Director’s Resignation

The Textile Museum Announces Director’s Resignation
March 25, 2009, Washington, D.C. — The Textile Museum announced today that Director Daniel
Walker has resigned, effective March 23, 2009. Walker has served as director since May 2005.

In his letter of resignation to the Board of Trustees, Walker wrote, “Given the economic climate, this is a difficult time for museums large and small. Therefore, the Board and I have come to a mutual agreement that this is the right moment for me to assist in the transition to a new director. I am eager to return to various research, writing and exhibition projects that have been set aside over the last four years. My devotion to The Textile Museum and its collection is unwavering, and I look forward to providing advice and assistance to the Museum beyond the official conclusion of my tenure.”

Walker’s letter of resignation was reluctantly accepted by Board President Bruce P. Baganz. In response, Baganz said, “The Textile Museum’s Board of Trustees is grateful for Daniel Walker’s leadership over the past four years. His extensive museum experience and thorough knowledge of textiles has helped to reinforce the Museum’s reputation as a world leader in the study and presentation of the textile arts.”

During Walker’s tenure, The Textile Museum presented 16 diverse and highly acclaimed exhibitions, including three curated by the director himself: Seldom Seen: Director’s Choice from the Museum’s Collections (February 10 – July 30, 2006), Pieces of a Puzzle: Classical Persian Carpet Fragments (September 1, 2006 – January 7, 2007), and Recent Acquisitions (March 6, 2009 – January 3, 2010).

Baganz commented, “We anticipate an exciting schedule of diverse exhibitions in the years ahead which will bear Daniel Walker’s artistic mark, including this spring’s Constructed Color: Amish Quilts and the upcoming exhibitions, Contemporary Japanese Fashion: The Mary Baskett Collection, Designing Women of Postwar Britain, and Colors of the Oasis: Central Asian Ikats.”

“On behalf of the entire Museum community, we wish Dan all the best in his future endeavors and look forward to an ongoing friendship,” Baganz said.

Danny Shaffer Slams Sotheby's Auction in the FT.com

The art market: High hopes floored by a carpet

By Georgina Adam
Published: March 28 2009 01:07 | Last updated: March 28 2009 01:07

There has been much coverage of the $5.5m paid for the lavish “Pearl carpet of Baroda” (pictured right) which Sotheby’s sold on March 19 in its new Doha, Qatar location. Predictions were that it could make $20m (£13.6m), but in the event it only just made its $5m estimate. What is more, specialists contest Sotheby’s claims that it sets a new world record for a carpet. “It is no more a carpet than is the glass mosaic Kazak rug that embellishes the grave of the ballet dancer Rudolph Nureyev, outside Paris,” says Danny Shaffer of the specialist antique rugs magazine Hali.
Carpets are generally defined as woven textiles that you can walk on without damaging them or your feet: the elaborate 19th-century Baroda piece (originally from the family of the Maharaja of Baroda, possibly commissioned for the tomb of the Prophet in Medina) has millions of seed pearls, semi-precious stones and coloured glass beads; Shaffer describes it as “costume jewellery gone mad”.
Sotheby’s said it had never appeared at auction before, which was true, but it has been knocking around the trade for decades, and was reportedly offered at an art fair for $1m about 15 years ago.

Prophet was Pearl Carpet's saviour

Prophet was Pearl Carpet's saviour

Devanshi Joshi

Friday, March 20, 2009 12:32 IST

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Vadodara: The world's costliest rug, the Pearl Carpet, commissioned by the erstwhile Maharaja of Baroda, Khander Rao Gaekwad, was expected to fetch more than $5 million at an auction in Doha, on Thursday.

In an exclusive interview with DNA, Jeetendra Singh Gaekwad, the great grandnephew of Maharaja Sayaji Rao Gaekwad who was adopted by the Gaekwad family, gave an account of the carpet's intriguing history.

Khander Rao had apparently intended to offer the carpet at Prophet Mohammed's mausoleum in Medina. Even in the princely era, artefacts such as the Pearl Carpet were considered to be investments. Jeetendra Singh said that Khander Rao's decision to make an offering of the carpet was governed by his desire to prevent it from being stolen during wars. Singh said that even in the chaos of conflict, nobody dared to touch anything that had any religious significance.

"Khander Rao was fond of grand architecture," Singh said. "He also had a keen interest in the arts and in high culture. The Pearl Carpet of Baroda exemplifies that passion."
Singh said that Khander Rao wanted Indian artisans to learn the craft that had been perfected by their Persian peers, as that would have opened profitable opportunities for them in India.

As for the Pearl Carpet, it flew between several owners before landing at Sotheby's. Sita Devi, who became the second wife of another maharaja of Baroda, late Sir Pratap Singh Gaekwad, took the carpet with her to southern Europe after her divorce from Sir Pratap. It is believed that after her death, the carpet first became the property of a Parsi man and then of an Arab sheikh. The carpet is said to have changed hands a few more times.

"After Independence, the government never tried keenly enough to bring the carpet home," Singh said. "Heavy import duties levied on such objects could have deterred those who wanted to restore the carpet to India."

Singh said that the current government should reclaim the carpet. "It should be displayed at the Baroda museum because it has an emotional value for the city," he said.
According to sources apprised of the royal family's affairs, Mumbai-based Sangram Singh Gaekwad, the grandson of maharaja Sayaji Rao Gaekwad, was keen to get the carpet back to the country. But apparently his enthusiasm was not shared by other royals.

Carpet Exhibition Opens In Northern Afghanistan Women weaving carpets in Afghanistan March 20, 2009 MAZAR-E SHARIF, Afghanistan (RFERL) -- An international carpet exhibition has opened in Afghanistan's northern Balkh Province, RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan (RFA) reports. The exhibition, held in the provincial capital Mazar-e Sharif, is financed by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and its goal is to promote Afghan carpets on the world market. Afghanistan's northern regions are well known for their ancient tradition of carpet making. Among the carpets on show at the two-day exhibition are some designs that have won international prizes in previous years. Noria Azizi, the head of a women's business association, told RFA that the United States is a major market for Afghan carpets.