Title: Shifts and Strands: Rethinking the Possibilities and Potentials of Textiles
Dates: November 12–17, 2024
Modality: Virtual on Zoom
Theme & Mission
The theme “Shifts and Strands: Rethinking the Possibilities and Potentials of Textiles” invites us to reflect on many exciting shifts in textiles as historical and contemporary, cultural, creative, scholarly, political, discursive, and scientific practices.
The 2024 Symposium will respond and contribute to developments in textiles while also reflecting TSA’s internal work. The Symposium is grounded in TSA’s ongoing anti-racism, equity, and accessibility work as its highest organizational priority. It is being shaped in line with TSA’s Mission:
Building a foundation of anti-racism and a culture of care, the mission of the Textile Society of America is to foster an international collective community—diverse, equitable, inclusive and accessible—for the exchange and dissemination of knowledges and experiences about textiles worldwide.
Importantly, the Symposium will highlight the work of our members, and create opportunities for TSA members to connect with each other and share their research, art, scholarship, projects, and ideas.
About the 2024 Symposium Logo
The logo was conceived and designed by Vitheavy Barton, who explains her inspirations and thinking behind the logo design:
“Similar to the way a multitude of strands are woven together to create a larger textile, people from around the globe will be converging at the 2024 TSA symposium, Shifts & Strands: Rethinking the Possibilities and Potentials of Textiles. This idea of connectedness and diversity, both in people and in textiles, was the main inspiration for the logo design. Themes about textiles—how they carry the past, are ever-changing, and show infinite potential—inspired the flowing curves in the logo. Multicolored, wavy lines come together as one, share with each other their past experience, and branch out into an endless future.”
Sessions & Experience
The Symposium will feature a broad range of sessions including the presentation of research, scholarship, and science, artist presentations, keynote lectures, panel discussions, roundtable conversations, “warp speed” and poster sessions, and mentorship and professional development sessions. It will also see the return of TSA member-focused events like the Awards Ceremony, Members’ Meeting, and virtual lunches and social gatherings.
Get involved!
TSA is a volunteer organization and the Symposium relies on the participation of our global textile community. Join us in helping to shape the Symposium!
- Read the Call for Participation and plan to submit a proposal
- Be a reader for submitted abstracts and proposals
- Receive mentorship and feedback on a proposal or idea to submit in response to the Call for Participation
- Be a mentor to help emerging or first-time participants craft their proposals in response to the Call for Participation
Not sure how to get involved, or want more information? Please let us know your interests by filling out this form.
Support
TSA is primarily supported by our members. We recently introduced a sliding scale for membership fees to make joining TSA much more affordable and allow for more equitable and robust participation. TSA relies on donations to balance our finances. If you’re able to give at any amount, we would appreciate your support in bringing the symposium to our community!
