Saturday, April 29, 2017

1:30 p.m. Refreshments     2:00 p.m.  Program

 “1001 Embroidered Tales:
Stories of Arab Embroidery”
with

Dr. Gillian Vogelsang-Eastwood
Director
Textile Research Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands

For many people the subject of embroidery brings to mind wall hangings worked in cross stitch, and the eyes glaze over.  But in reality embroidery, especially in the Middle East, is a fascinating and detailed reflection of men and women’s work that goes back to the time of Tutankhamun and earlier. It has been used for a wide range of purposes, from embellishing royal wardrobes to protecting a newly born child. This talk will discuss Arab embroidery as a reflection of cultural, economic, religious and social conditions.  It is more than just a collection of cross stitches, it is the bearer of a thousand and one tales from all aspects of society.

Dr. Gillian Vogelsang-Eastwood is a textile and dress historian specializing in the Middle East. She gained her PhD from Manchester University (England, 1988) and since then has worked as a textile archaeologist and historian on various sites in the region. She is the director of the Textile Research Centre, Leiden (www.trc-leiden.nl), as well as textile specialist for projects, such as the Tutankhamun’s Wardrobe: Textiles and Dress from the Tomb of Tutankhamun for the Grand Egyptian Museum, Egypt. Dr. Vogelsang-Eastwood is the author of more than 15 books about textiles and dress, as well as numerous articles on the same subject. She has also produced over 30 exhibitions about different aspects of world textile and dress history. In addition, Dr. Vogelsang-Eastwood is particularly interested in the history and use of embroidery. She is the editor and principal author of the Encyclopedia of Embroidery from the Arab World (Bloomsbury 2016), which recently won the prestigious 2017 Dartmouth Medal.

Dr. Vogelsang-Eastwood invites TMA/SC members to bring examples of Arab embroidered textiles from anywhere in the Arab-Islamic world, including North Africa and the Middle East.

****NEW VENUE***  Nolte Hall   St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church
11555 National  Blvd.  Los Angeles, CA  90064 @ Federal Ave.
South of the 10 freeway, and west of the 405, near the intersection of Sawtelle and National.  Free parking.

Admission:    TMA/SC Members  Gratis . . . . .  Guests  $10