Ursula McCracken: [ Age 66 ] The 18-Year Director of the Textile Museum in Washington Enhanced Her Education and Resume...
The Baltimore Sun, Maryland
Mar. 21--Ursula N. McCracken, former director of the Textile Museum in Washington who earlier had been director of development at the College of Notre Dame of Maryland, died Monday of brain cancer at her West University Parkway home. She was 66.
Ursula Naylor Eland was born in New York City, and raised in England and Stamford, Conn. She earned a bachelor's degree in the history of art from Wellesley College in 1963 and received two master's degrees from Johns Hopkins University.
Mrs. McCracken received a master's degree in the history of ideas in 1984 and, two years later, a master's in administrative sciences, or nonprofit management.
She was working at the Albright Knox Gallery in Buffalo, N.Y., when she met her future husband, Edward P. McCracken. After their 1965 wedding, they moved to Baltimore and joined the staff of what was then the Walters Art Gallery.
In 1977, Mrs. McCracken was named director of development for the College of Notre Dame of Maryland, a position she held until 1986, when she was named director of the Textile Museum in Northwest Washington.
"'Steadfast' and 'determined' are two words I'd use to describe her. She was a powerful force," said Carol M. Bier, president of the Textile Society of America who is also a lecturer in humanities at San Francisco State University.
"She came to the museum not with a lot of experience in textile history but had a wide range of experience in nonprofit management. That's why the board appointed her," Ms. Bier, a former Textile Museum staff member, said yesterday.
"Edwin Zimmerman, past president of the museum's board, said when the trustees were searching for a new director, he was told, 'Ursula McCracken could run an army,'" Ms. Bier said.
"She was equitable in sharing authority and responsibilities. Decisions were not made unilaterally and were reached only after deliberate discussion," she said.
"Ursula certainly worked with consistency and determination to professionalize the museum in all its operations, and to provide for the professional development of her staff," Ms. Bier said.
Other accomplishments during Mrs. McCracken's tenure included increasing the museum's endowment from $2 million to $17 million, retiring its debt and doubling its operating budget from $1.2 million to $2.7 million.
She oversaw several critically acclaimed exhibitions, including Woven from the Soul, Spun from the Heart: Textile Arts of Safavid and Qajar Iran in 1986; and Costume and Identity in Highland Ecuador in 1999.
Her professional memberships included the Association of Art Museum Directors.
After stepping down as museum director in 2004, Mrs. McCracken was director of major gifts for the American Pain Foundation in Baltimore.
She was an avid reader and world traveler.
Plans for a memorial service were incomplete yesterday.
In addition to her husband, Mrs. McCracken is survived by a brother, Timothy B.B. Eland of New York City; and two sisters, Jane B. Donahue of Wellesley, Mass., and Faith Shepard of , Conn.
Friday, March 21, 2008
Ursula McCracken Obituary Baltimore Sun
Ursula McCracken: [ Age 66 ] The 18-Year Director of the Textile Museum in Washington Enhanced Her Education and Resume...
The Baltimore Sun, Maryland
Mar. 21--Ursula N. McCracken, former director of the Textile Museum in Washington who earlier had been director of development at the College of Notre Dame of Maryland, died Monday of brain cancer at her West University Parkway home. She was 66.
Ursula Naylor Eland was born in New York City, and raised in England and Stamford, Conn. She earned a bachelor's degree in the history of art from Wellesley College in 1963 and received two master's degrees from Johns Hopkins University.
Mrs. McCracken received a master's degree in the history of ideas in 1984 and, two years later, a master's in administrative sciences, or nonprofit management.
She was working at the Albright Knox Gallery in Buffalo, N.Y., when she met her future husband, Edward P. McCracken. After their 1965 wedding, they moved to Baltimore and joined the staff of what was then the Walters Art Gallery.
In 1977, Mrs. McCracken was named director of development for the College of Notre Dame of Maryland, a position she held until 1986, when she was named director of the Textile Museum in Northwest Washington.
"'Steadfast' and 'determined' are two words I'd use to describe her. She was a powerful force," said Carol M. Bier, president of the Textile Society of America who is also a lecturer in humanities at San Francisco State University.
"She came to the museum not with a lot of experience in textile history but had a wide range of experience in nonprofit management. That's why the board appointed her," Ms. Bier, a former Textile Museum staff member, said yesterday.
"Edwin Zimmerman, past president of the museum's board, said when the trustees were searching for a new director, he was told, 'Ursula McCracken could run an army,'" Ms. Bier said.
"She was equitable in sharing authority and responsibilities. Decisions were not made unilaterally and were reached only after deliberate discussion," she said.
"Ursula certainly worked with consistency and determination to professionalize the museum in all its operations, and to provide for the professional development of her staff," Ms. Bier said.
Other accomplishments during Mrs. McCracken's tenure included increasing the museum's endowment from $2 million to $17 million, retiring its debt and doubling its operating budget from $1.2 million to $2.7 million.
She oversaw several critically acclaimed exhibitions, including Woven from the Soul, Spun from the Heart: Textile Arts of Safavid and Qajar Iran in 1986; and Costume and Identity in Highland Ecuador in 1999.
Her professional memberships included the Association of Art Museum Directors.
After stepping down as museum director in 2004, Mrs. McCracken was director of major gifts for the American Pain Foundation in Baltimore.
She was an avid reader and world traveler.
Plans for a memorial service were incomplete yesterday.
In addition to her husband, Mrs. McCracken is survived by a brother, Timothy B.B. Eland of New York City; and two sisters, Jane B. Donahue of Wellesley, Mass., and Faith Shepard of , Conn.
The Baltimore Sun, Maryland
Mar. 21--Ursula N. McCracken, former director of the Textile Museum in Washington who earlier had been director of development at the College of Notre Dame of Maryland, died Monday of brain cancer at her West University Parkway home. She was 66.
Ursula Naylor Eland was born in New York City, and raised in England and Stamford, Conn. She earned a bachelor's degree in the history of art from Wellesley College in 1963 and received two master's degrees from Johns Hopkins University.
Mrs. McCracken received a master's degree in the history of ideas in 1984 and, two years later, a master's in administrative sciences, or nonprofit management.
She was working at the Albright Knox Gallery in Buffalo, N.Y., when she met her future husband, Edward P. McCracken. After their 1965 wedding, they moved to Baltimore and joined the staff of what was then the Walters Art Gallery.
In 1977, Mrs. McCracken was named director of development for the College of Notre Dame of Maryland, a position she held until 1986, when she was named director of the Textile Museum in Northwest Washington.
"'Steadfast' and 'determined' are two words I'd use to describe her. She was a powerful force," said Carol M. Bier, president of the Textile Society of America who is also a lecturer in humanities at San Francisco State University.
"She came to the museum not with a lot of experience in textile history but had a wide range of experience in nonprofit management. That's why the board appointed her," Ms. Bier, a former Textile Museum staff member, said yesterday.
"Edwin Zimmerman, past president of the museum's board, said when the trustees were searching for a new director, he was told, 'Ursula McCracken could run an army,'" Ms. Bier said.
"She was equitable in sharing authority and responsibilities. Decisions were not made unilaterally and were reached only after deliberate discussion," she said.
"Ursula certainly worked with consistency and determination to professionalize the museum in all its operations, and to provide for the professional development of her staff," Ms. Bier said.
Other accomplishments during Mrs. McCracken's tenure included increasing the museum's endowment from $2 million to $17 million, retiring its debt and doubling its operating budget from $1.2 million to $2.7 million.
She oversaw several critically acclaimed exhibitions, including Woven from the Soul, Spun from the Heart: Textile Arts of Safavid and Qajar Iran in 1986; and Costume and Identity in Highland Ecuador in 1999.
Her professional memberships included the Association of Art Museum Directors.
After stepping down as museum director in 2004, Mrs. McCracken was director of major gifts for the American Pain Foundation in Baltimore.
She was an avid reader and world traveler.
Plans for a memorial service were incomplete yesterday.
In addition to her husband, Mrs. McCracken is survived by a brother, Timothy B.B. Eland of New York City; and two sisters, Jane B. Donahue of Wellesley, Mass., and Faith Shepard of , Conn.
Friday, March 14, 2008
UCLA to hold Iranian film festival - Persian Carpet
UCLA to hold Iranian film festival
Fri, 14 Mar 2008 11:06:08
The 18th Annual Celebration of Iranian Cinema, sponsored by the UCLA Film and Television Archive, is scheduled to kick off in April.
The celebration will be opened with an astonishing documentary called Persian Carpet, which is an anthology of contributions from 15 prominent Iranian directors, including the legendary Abbas Kiarostami. Each piece of the cinematic collage interprets the titular subject via a unique aesthetic point of view.
Fri, 14 Mar 2008 11:06:08
The 18th Annual Celebration of Iranian Cinema, sponsored by the UCLA Film and Television Archive, is scheduled to kick off in April.
The celebration will be opened with an astonishing documentary called Persian Carpet, which is an anthology of contributions from 15 prominent Iranian directors, including the legendary Abbas Kiarostami. Each piece of the cinematic collage interprets the titular subject via a unique aesthetic point of view.
Samarkand Carpets Show at Doris Leslie Blau
SAMARKAND CARPETS
New York galleries often stage exhibitions on Asian themes during Asia Week (which started this week and is actually two weeks).
This week Doris Leslie Blau, a gallery with hundreds of antique and modern carpets at 306 East 61st Street, in Manhattan, opened a show (though March 26) of about 60 Samarkand carpets made between 1880 and 1930. It is noteworthy because few American dealers sell these rugs.
Samarkand rugs are not woven in Samarkand, the second-largest city in Uzbekistan. Most come from the villages of East Turkestan, in China, and are then passed through Samarkand, a 2,700-year-old city. It was a market town on the Silk Road, the trade route between China and Europe.
“Everything was going on there,” said Nader Bolour, the owner of Doris Leslie Blau. “Samarkand was stuck in the crossroads between India and Russia, China and Europe.”
The city has been inhabited since 700 B.C. Alexander the Great conquered it in 329 B.C. The Mongols sacked it in 1220. Tamerlane made it his capital in 1370.
“Samarkand is history’s definitive melting pot,” Judith Glass, an antique-rug consultant, writes in the catalog. The carpets “display themes from many cultures, including China (with fretwork borders, lotus blossoms and cloud bands); India (with the swastika denoting infinity); Turkey (with bold reciprocal borders and carnations); and Persia (with floral trellis work).”
These are sturdy wool rugs, not like silk Persian carpets. “The weave in these carpets is actually quite coarse,” Mr. Bolour said. “They are all about color and design, not fineness of weave.” He is attracted to their unusual color combinations. “None are red and blue like Oriental carpets,” he said. “They have very soft colors with a little tweak: magenta with acid green, peachy beige with brown, saffron yellow with lacquer red, bone with brown or slate blue.”
Each rug incorporates woven symbols. Three medallions together may represent Buddha. Pomegranates signify prosperity and fertility.
New York galleries often stage exhibitions on Asian themes during Asia Week (which started this week and is actually two weeks).
This week Doris Leslie Blau, a gallery with hundreds of antique and modern carpets at 306 East 61st Street, in Manhattan, opened a show (though March 26) of about 60 Samarkand carpets made between 1880 and 1930. It is noteworthy because few American dealers sell these rugs.
Samarkand rugs are not woven in Samarkand, the second-largest city in Uzbekistan. Most come from the villages of East Turkestan, in China, and are then passed through Samarkand, a 2,700-year-old city. It was a market town on the Silk Road, the trade route between China and Europe.
“Everything was going on there,” said Nader Bolour, the owner of Doris Leslie Blau. “Samarkand was stuck in the crossroads between India and Russia, China and Europe.”
The city has been inhabited since 700 B.C. Alexander the Great conquered it in 329 B.C. The Mongols sacked it in 1220. Tamerlane made it his capital in 1370.
“Samarkand is history’s definitive melting pot,” Judith Glass, an antique-rug consultant, writes in the catalog. The carpets “display themes from many cultures, including China (with fretwork borders, lotus blossoms and cloud bands); India (with the swastika denoting infinity); Turkey (with bold reciprocal borders and carnations); and Persia (with floral trellis work).”
These are sturdy wool rugs, not like silk Persian carpets. “The weave in these carpets is actually quite coarse,” Mr. Bolour said. “They are all about color and design, not fineness of weave.” He is attracted to their unusual color combinations. “None are red and blue like Oriental carpets,” he said. “They have very soft colors with a little tweak: magenta with acid green, peachy beige with brown, saffron yellow with lacquer red, bone with brown or slate blue.”
Each rug incorporates woven symbols. Three medallions together may represent Buddha. Pomegranates signify prosperity and fertility.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Persian Rugs: Arabi Main Carpet Circa 1850
Persian Rugs: Arabi Main Carpet Circa 1850 At one point I would have attributed this one to the Khamseh Confederation but Arab or Arabi works. There are Persians who are linguistically Arab who weave these rugs. Interestingly the CIA has been trying to stir up an anti-Iranian revolt among these people in the last few years. it has not been successful since their loyalty as Shia outweighs any Persian/Arab contention. They have been doing the same thing with greater success with the Baluch in Sistan. the Baluch are Sunni. see also Khamseh Confederation Rugs Guide
Persian Rugs: Arabi Main Carpet Circa 1850
Persian Rugs: Arabi Main Carpet Circa 1850 At one point I would have attributed this one to the Khamseh Confederation but Arab or Arabi works. There are Persians who are linguistically Arab who weave these rugs. Interestingly the CIA has been trying to stir up an anti-Iranian revolt among these people in the last few years. it has not been successful since their loyalty as Shia outweighs any Persian/Arab contention. They have been doing the same thing with greater success with the Baluch in Sistan. the Baluch are Sunni. see also Khamseh Confederation Rugs Guide
Two million people engaged in carpet industry in Iran
Two million people engaged in carpet industry in Iran
Zahedan, March 11, IRNA
Iran-Handmade Carpets
Deputy Commerce Minister Morteza Faraji said on Tuesday that there are 2 million people engaged in producing hand-woven carpets in Iran.
Faraji who is also the chief of Iran's National Carpet Center told IRNA that five million square meters of hand-woven carpets are produced in the country annually.
Moreover, the hand-woven carpets valued at dlrs 450 million have been exported last year and the figure is predicted to be the same during the current year, Faraji said.
He added that a maximum loan of one billion rials would be granted to carpet producers to expand carpet industry.
Holding provincial carpet fairs, producing movies about Persian carpets and showing advertisements on foreign TV channels are among the important measures taken so far by Iran's National Carpet Center to introduce Iranian hand-woven carpets and encourage foreign countries to buy them, Faraji said.
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