"Weaving Traditions of Ladakh (North India)" will be at Woven

Carol Bier to Highlight Features of Mamluk Rugs and Carpets from Andalusia at:

Woven Treasures Galleries

2221 Grays Ferry Avenue,
(at the corner of 23rd and South Sts)

Philadelphia, PA

On September 23rd, 2003 at 7:00 P.M

On February 27^th Carol Bier, Curator of The Textile Museum's two spring exhibitions, Carpets of Andalusia, and Mamluk Rugs from Egypt: Jewels of the Collection, will discuss the approaches she has taken to each of two significant historical rug groups. Those from 15th-century Egypt comprise a cohesive design category, whereas those from 15th- and 16th-century Spain represent diverse cultural origins.

In looking at designs and patterns from these two surviving groups of classical carpets, Ms Bier will address aspects of the relationship between design, weave structure, and rug-weaving technology. There will be ample time for questions and discussion.

Carol Bier is Research Associate at The Textile Museum in Washington, DC, where she served as Curator for Eastern Hemisphere Collections from 1984 to 2001. For ten years she has also served on the faculty of the Maryland Institute College of Art teaching Islamic art.

She is author of The Persian Velvets at Rosenborg (Copenhagen, 1995), editor and contributing author of Woven from the Soul, Spun from the Heart: Textile Arts of Safavid and Qajar Iran (16th-19th Centuries) (Washington, 1987), and editor of The Textile Museum Journal.

Her award-winning on-line exhibition, "Symmetry & Pattern: The Art of Oriental Carpets" http://mathforum.org/geometry/rugs/ is a collaborative project of The Math Forum and The Textile Museum. Please note: this is a rescreshedule of Carol’s snowed-out February talk.

Shiv Sikri to present “Hidden in Plain Sight; Patterns of Intentional Variation in Traditional Oriental Rugs”

Galley51

51 N. 2^nd Street,
Philadelphia, PA

(215) 413-3191

On November 8th, 2003 at 11:00 A.M

Part of the charm of traditional oriental rugs is the variation in color, "abrash" and design found within each piece. Many of these variations appear to be arbitrary and "accidental". However, by examining a
large number of examples and concentrating on specific types, one begins to suggest certain heretofore hidden compositional rules are at work.

This slide lecture will concentrate on bringing to light one of the most prominent of these hidden design patterns - the "internal elem"- which is a representation of a 'compartment' in the lower quarter of a weaving and which often incorporates a discontinuous element. The presentation will show the distinctive markings that indicate this subtle design element and will show that all types of traditional rugs- tribal, workshop and classical, include these not-so-random variations. This presentation will leave you with a new way to perceive and appreciate any traditional rug.

Shiv Sikri is a rug collector and dealer, and a lecturer in Mathematics at Hunter College, New York and also a Doctoral candidate in Mathematics with a specialization in Number Theory. As a rug collector, his specialization is in Baluchi.

Upcoming PORS events this season:

We are lining up a great list of speakers for our 2003-2004 year, such as Harald Boehmer, the pioneer who started the revival of Natural vegetable dyes in Turkey and the weaving world, Olga Bush, visiting scholar at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY who will speak on the Textiles and Architecture of the Elhamra, Kurt Munkacsi a well known Turkmen collector and in the spring, a possible talk by Marlene Eidelheit, director of the textile restoration laboratory at the cathedral of St. John the Divine, NYC.

From the Chair:

Members are reminded that the next ACOR, number 7, will be held in Seattle March 25th-28^th and it should be another great one. Stay tuned for more detailed information. I also would like to add a thank you note to the people that attended our picnic and volunteered to help us with the functions.

Summary and Actions: Aron Fisher gave a summary of our financial situation for the year. We are doing O.K. All present members agreed that we can afford to buy our own audio visual equipment and save the rental expense in the long run. But we need 2 volunteers to set up the equipment. A special thank you goes to Myrna Bloom and Richard Marcus for their hospitality. Thank you for the following members for volunteering: Logistics and Newsletter: George Trotman, Newsletter/ Website: Jerry Bulyk, Speakers: Craig Wallen/Samy New Membership: John Bull and Bob Kallish, Treasury: Aron Fisher, Audio-Visual: Aron Fisher/Samy (temporary until a new team can be found). E-mail address: We agreed to provide a list of all members and their e-mails to members. No addresses or telephone numbers will be given and the e-mail is strictly for internal communication purposes. If you have any objections for your name and e-mail to appear, please let George Trotman now at: [email protected].