The Textile Society of America invites members and the public on a journey unlike any other: a Textile Study Tour to Rajasthan and Gujarat, India (September 10–October 1, 2026) organized in collaboration with artist Ai Kijima.
Across 21 days, participants will weave their way through India’s diverse textile landscapes, guided by Chiman Dangi (Udaipur–Jodhpur) and Shokat Ali (Jaisalmer–Ahmedabad). This tour is not a surface-level visit. It is an immersive exchange, built on long-standing relationships of trust and respect with artisans and cultural leaders.
Imagine walking through the bustling markets of Jodhpur, draped in a traditional saree or ghagra-choli after a joyful evening hosted by local artisans. Picture yourself sitting in a desert courtyard, learning to stitch a Ralli quilt with Sindhi Muslim women as Sufi songs rise into the night. Or dipping your hands into indigo vats in Ajrakhpur, as master artisans demonstrate the centuries-old techniques of Ajrakh block printing.
These experiences are not staged performances. They are genuine exchanges with communities whose knowledge, creativity, and resilience continue to shape India’s cultural and artistic heritage. Participants will also explore India’s leading institutions, including the Calico Museum of Textiles, the LLDC Museum, and the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) Gandhinagar, where a special lecture will highlight contemporary directions in craft and design.
The Textile Study Tour is designed for anyone with a passion for textiles, cultural exchange, and global perspectives. Whether you are a maker, scholar, collector, or enthusiast, this journey will deepen your understanding of the connections between cloth, identity, storytelling, and place.
Spaces are limited to ensure intimate, meaningful engagement.
![This Member Monday features multidisciplinary artist, writer, and researcher Sara Rosenthal, who explores time, transformation, and material memory through weaving, installation, video art, and performance. From handwoven “mold” and tapestries featuring reimagined stone mother figures to deeply personal work responding to the Los Angeles wildfires that destroyed her childhood home, Rosenthal’s textile practice moves between rupture and repair, the microscopic and the cosmic. As co-Director of Argo Arts in Athens, Rosenthal also fosters international artistic exchange while researching and writing about sustainable textile futures. Read more about Rosenthal's work at the link in our bio!
1: Performance still from ‘pink woven time’, the Parthenope/ Penelope series, handwoven costume made of found materials. Created while on residency at the Carousel Institute of the Arts. Photo credit: Sara Rosenthal
2: navigation pods i; woven sculpture (yarn, thread, hand-painted lace, assorted fabric scraps, ribbons, watch bands, maps, twine, silk), 8 x 20 inches, 2023. Photo credit: Sara Rosenthal
3: lemon ruins i (moldy fruit assemblages series); mixed fibers, thread, pistachio shells, clay, seed imprints, wood, paint, safety pin; 2023. Photo credit: Sara Rosenthal
4: Installation view of solo exhibition “If one day these [ ] become ruins…”, featuring seed assemblages, a handwoven tapestry, and the stone mother tapestry. Photo credit: Sara Rosenthal
5: Artist portrait in front of “To Liberate a Mother” 140 x 100 cm, printed images of “mater matutae” stone ex-voto mother statues from Campania, printed on natural linen, embroidered and handwoven with raw wool roving, cotton, flax, ribbon, and twine, 2023-ongoing. Photo Credit: M R Webber
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