Highlights Tours
Free docent-led tours of the galleries are offered Saturdays and Sundays at 1:30 p.m.
All Programs by Date
April
Lecture: The Story of Cotton and the Indian Subcontinent
Join Karthika Audinet as she traces the origins of cotton from the Indus Valley Civilization to the inimitable fine muslins of Dhaka.
Fake News? Hamilton Rumors and Truths
Join our panel of experts for short talks on Alexander Hamilton and his impact on Washington, D.C., followed by a Q&A and curator-led tour of the exhibition "Breaking News: Alexander Hamilton."
Lecture: The Ottoman Heritage in Austro-Hungarian Costume and Textiles
Curator and scholar Joyce Corbett will illuminate influences on costume and textiles during the 150-year long Ottoman Turkish occupation of the greater Austro-Hungarian Empire (1541–1699). A collaboration with the International Hajji Baba Society.
Student Presentations: Washington, D.C., History, Culture, and Politics
GW students present their original research after a semester of working with the museum’s Albert H. Small Washingtoniana Collection, among other local repositories.
May
Consultations: Ask a Curator, Ask a Conservator
Visitors can learn more about their own textiles from museum curators and conservators.
Lecture: Jewish Brides, Grooms, Merchants, and Craftsmen in Central Asia
Alanna Cooper, director of Jewish Lifelong Learning at Case Western Reserve University, examines images of the Jews taken by photographer A. L. Kun, who documented regions of Central Asia when they came under Russian control in the late nineteenth century. A collaboration with the GW Department of Judaic Studies.
Lecture/Show-and-Tell: The Origins of Weaving
Museum Trustee and collector Wendel Swan will examine how, where, and why weaving with animal fibers began and its importance—from the domestication of sheep through the Industrial Revolution and beyond.
Lecture: The D.C. Oral History Collaborative
The D.C. Oral History Collaborative aims to preserve the memories of D.C. residents by making oral history recordings accessible, and providing tools to conduct quality interviews.
Film: "China’s Guizhou Ethnic Groups, Part I: Preface, Miao, Bouyei, Dong"
This documentary, the first half of an eight-part series, explores the origins, rituals, and elaborate dress of three minority cultures in Southwest China.
Lecture/Show-and-Tell: Caucasian Prayer Rugs
Prayer rugs had important social and religious significance in the Caucusus and are prized for their beautiful colors and designs. Collector Austin Doyle will offer guidance on how to identify colors, structure, and other features to distinguish origin.
Special Hours: Arthur D. Jenkins Library
Take advantage of Saturday hours at the library to conduct research or browse hard-to-find print and visual resources on global textiles and traditional dress.
Lecture: Asian Students in D.C. Public Schools During Segregation
Examine how forgotten school yearbooks and other unusual sources can reveal the experiences of Asian and Asian-American students in D.C. public schools during the years of segregation.
Gallery Talk: Plush Life in Ikat Velvet
Massumeh Farhad, chief curator and curator of Islamic art at the Freer|Sackler, will discuss the production of ikat velvets in late nineteenth-century Central Asia through examples on display in "Binding the Clouds: The Art of Central Asian Ikat."
Art Museum Day
The museum will offer special activities in celebration of Art Museum Day.
Demonstration: Bundle Dyeing
Join textile artist An-Phuong Ly as she discusses various plants and flowers used as natural dyes and explores the ways that color can be extracted.
Discussion and Tour: Indigo, Blue Star of the Orient
International lecturer and traveler Jenny Balfour-Paul will give an illustrated overview of indigo, followed by a show-and-tell and a special tour of the galleries to examine and discuss varied examples of indigo-dyed textiles from Asia.
Lecture: Chasing Indigo from the Skyscrapers of Yemen to Manhattan
In this illustrated talk, international lecturer, traveler, and dyer Jenny Balfour-Paul relates her journeys in both the history and modern revivals of natural indigo that began on the Red Sea Coast of Yemen. A collaboration with the International Hajji Baba Society.
Lecture: Comprehending Khipus and the Wari World
In a richly illustrated talk, Jeffery Splitstoser, the world’s leading scholar on Wari-style khipus (recording devices made entirely of fiber) will present recent research that reveals similarities and differences between ancient South America’s first empires. A collaboration with the GW Department of Anthropology.
Discussion: Naturally Dyed Textiles
Participants will explore some of the dyes and resulting colors featured in the new "Textiles 101" interactive gallery. A collaboration with the U.S. Botanic Garden.
Film: "China’s Guizhou Ethnic Groups, Part II: Tujia,Yi, Shui, Gelao"
This documentary, the final half of an eight-part series, explores the origins, rituals, and distinctive dress of four of Southwest China's minority cultures.
June
Film: "A Visit to China’s Miao Country"
Eleanor Coppola shot this documentary in the southern region of China, revealing the extraordinary textile traditions of the Miao culture.
Workshop: Ikat Binding and Dyeing
Try your hand at the involved dye-layering process of ikat in a step-by-step, hands-on binding and dyeing workshop led by Christina P. Day, professor of fiber and sculptural studies at the Maryland Institute College of Art.
Lecture: Tourism, Change, and the Textile Economy Among the Miao in Guizhou
Join Center of Asian Studies Director (University of Colorado) Tim Oakes to reflect on the changes he has witnessed conducting research in Southwest China’s Guizhou Province over the past thirty years.
Gallery Talk: Displaying Historical Textiles and Costumes
Associate Conservators Cathleen Zaret and Elizabeth Shaeffer discuss their conservation treatment and mount preparations for the current exhibitions "Binding the Clouds" and "Vanishing Traditions."
Special Hours: Museum Shop
Take advantage of these special hours at the museum shop. Please note that the museum galleries are closed on Tuesdays.
Film: "A Visit to China’s Miao Country"
Eleanor Coppola shot this documentary in the southern region of China, revealing the extraordinary textile traditions of the Miao culture.
Lecture: "Greetings from Hometown Washington, D.C.!"
Join Jerry A. McCoy, special collections librarian at the D.C. Public Library, for a look at unusual vintage postcards of Washington, D.C., and the stories behind the local sites depicted on the cards.
The George Washington University Museum
The Textile Museum
701 21st Street, NW
Washington, DC 20052
Phone: 202-994-5200
[email protected]
