Saturday, August 1, 2015

Textiles for the Head:

  Utility, Identity, Authority / Part 2

with

Christine Brown

Collector and World Traveler, Washington, DC

Washington, D.C.-based textile enthusiast Christine Brown will continue her popular discussion of textiles placed on the head that she presented to TMA/SC in July 2014.  Part I of her presentation discussed some of the many purposes for which textiles are placed on the head.  Part II will focus on a specific type of headdress--those created to look like animals or animal parts.  The people wearing this type of headdress believe it embodies attributes of the animal it represents and may convey authority, be amuletic, attract good fortune, and more.

Christine Brown has a long and abiding interest in traditional cultures around the world.  She has a degree in Anthropology, was a Peace Corps volunteer in West Africa, and has spent her career working on development assistance projects funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development.  She was the Program Committee co-Chair of the International Hajji Baba Society, the Washington, D.C.-based rug and textile collectors group, and has an avid interest in ethnic jewelry and adornment.   She co-curated three exhibitions of ethnic jewelry at the former Bead Museum in Washington, D.C.  Her presentation of "Textiles for the Head" was her fourth at the Textile Museum.   Audience members are welcome to bring any type of textile-type headdress for show & tell, but examples made to resemble birds, mammals, or reptiles are especially encouraged.