Textiles Close Up: Virtual Roundtable

Date: September 23, 2026
Time: 12 – 1:30 PM EDT
Location: Online – Virtual Event

During the September online session, each presenter will give a brief presentation highlighting objects, collections, or site-specific practices from their institution. A moderated discussion led by TSA Board Member Alexa Griffith Winton will follow, inviting participants to reflect on how textiles mediate identity, the impact of materials and technologies on clothing and adornment, and the responsibilities of institutions in interpreting living cultural traditions.

The session will include time for questions from the audience and interaction with presenters. The session will be live-streamed, making it accessible to a global audience. Recordings of the program will be made available, and registered participants will receive a notification when the recordings are available.

Presenters include:
Skä•noñh Great Law of Peace Center
Thousand Islands Arts Center ~ Home of the Handweaving Museum
Syracuse University’s Sue Ann Genet Costume Collection
Everson Museum of Art
Cornell University’s Hybrid Body Lab
The Cornell Fashion + Textile Collection (CF+TC)

Member: $10.00
Non-Member: $20.00
Basic Classroom: $30 One shared link for in-class viewing
Premium Classroom: $45 for Individual access for up to 30 students

Registration deadline: September 22

Your registration helps sustain TSA’s mission to foster the exchange and dissemination of knowledge and experiences about textiles worldwide. Individuals seeking assistance related to accessibility needs are encouraged to contact access@textilesocietyofamerica.org.

Developed by the TSA in collaboration with exceptional regional partners, Skä•noñh Great Law of Peace Center, Thousand Islands Arts Center ~ Home of the Handweaving Museum, Syracuse University’s Sue Ann Genet Costume Collection, Everson Museum of Art, Cornell University’s Hybrid Body Lab, The Cornell Fashion + Textile Collection (CF+TC).

Emerson Shenandoah is a citizen of the Mohawk Nation, residing at the Onondaga Nation, and a Snipe Clan Member of the Onondaga. He is the Director of The Skä•noñh – Great Law of Peace Center, a Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Cultural Center. A graduate of Cornell University’s College of Industrial and Labor Relations, Emerson’s interests lie at the intersection of labor policy and law, particularly their potential to create culturally relevant access for Indigenous peoples. He previously worked as a consultant with Eagle Hill and the United South and Eastern Tribes in Washington, D.C.. During his time at Cornell, Emerson was an invaluable member of the American Indian and Indigenous Studies Program (AIISP) community, serving as a Residence Assistant in Fall 2018 and a leading member in Native American and Indigenous Students at Cornell (NAISAC) and the American Indian Science and Engineering Association (AISES). 

Kirsten Schoonmaker is an assistant teaching professor at Syracuse University’s School of Design/CVPA, teaches fashion skills, techniques, and theory. Previously, she was an assistant conservator at the Shelburne Museum, a Kress Fellow with the New York State Bureau of Historic Sites, and worked with conservation departments at the Museum at FIT and Cooper Hewitt. Before that, she worked in costume construction for the Santa Fe Opera and Opera Colorado. Schoonmaker’s expertise lies in making historical garment construction accessible for study and inspiration. She has presented at the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works and the North American Textile Conservation Conference, served as secretary for the Textile Specialty Group of the American Institute for Conservation, and taught a conservation workshop for the Foundation for the American Institute for Conservation.

Marina Loew is the Assistant Director and Curator at the Thousand Islands Arts Center in Clayton, New York, where she oversees exhibitions, collections management, and community-centered arts programming. Her work bridges contemporary craft and textile heritage, advancing the Center’s mission to preserve and celebrate regional artistry.  Her curatorial approach is shaped by a commitment to craft traditions, sustainable design, and community engagement, connecting local creative practices with broader cultural narratives. Before joining the Thousand Islands Arts Center, Loew worked in technical design and small-scale production at KaiKini Bikinis, where she managed design, pattern grading, and garment construction, and led a team of seamstresses to ensure high-quality, sustainable production. She also contributed to photo shoots and fashion events, supporting creative direction and backstage coordination. Earlier in her career, she held roles in retail and operations at Kiko Kauai, where she developed customer service and merchandising experience.

Catherine Kueffer Blumenkamp, MPS, is the Associate Director of the Cornell Fashion + Textile Collection and Lecturer in the Department of Human Centered Design at Cornell University’s College of Human Ecology, is a designer and educator driven by her passion for material culture and the aesthetic, cultural, and collective meanings of design. In her role as a lecturer, she teaches courses on fashion, aesthetics, and society, as well as fashion draping. She also organizes workshops featuring external experts for the Human Centered Design community. As a freelance designer, Catherine creates bespoke garments and provides design consulting and project management services. Her studio work and teaching mutually enrich each other. Whether mentoring students, curating exhibitions, or working on commissions, Catherine excels at bringing people together to maximize their talents and explore the creative process. Having started her teaching career at Sam Houston State University, a top institution for social mobility, she is deeply committed to empowering students and ensuring accessible and inclusive education.

Dr. Cindy Hsin-Liu Kao is an Associate Professor in Human Centered Design, with graduate field faculty appointments in Information Science, and Electrical & Computer Engineering at Cornell University. She founded and directs the Hybrid Body Lab. Her research practice themed Hybrid Body Craft blends cultural and social perspectives into the design of on-body interfaces. The goal is to shift towards more inclusive and diverse designs for emerging soft wearable technologies, which often appear in the form of smart tattoos and close-body textiles. Kao also develops novel digital fabrication processes for crafting technology close to the body. Kao was awarded a National Science Foundation CAREER Award for her research agenda. Kao and her lab’s research has received several Honorable Mention/Best Paper Awards in top-tier Computer Science conferences (ACM CHI, UIST, ISWC and DIS) while receiving media coverage by Forbes, CNN, TIME, Fast Company, WIRED. Kao has served as the program chair for ACM International Symposium of Wearable Computers (ISWC), the premier conference for wearable computers. Kao and her lab also strive to make an impact in the design and art communities. 

Steffi Chappell is the Director of Curatorial Affairs at the Everson Museum of Art in Syracuse, New York, where she leads the curatorial and collections departments with a focus on advancing the museum’s mission to engage diverse audiences through dynamic exhibitions and scholarship. In her role, she provides strategic vision and managerial oversight, guiding the development of a robust exhibition schedule and fostering meaningful collaborations with artists and institutions. Chappell has curated and overseen numerous exhibitions highlighting modern and contemporary American art. Her curatorial practice emphasizes the intersections of art, design, and social context, situating the Everson’s collection within broader dialogues about creativity, identity, and cultural history. Dedicated to expanding access to the arts, Chappell brings a collaborative and research-driven approach to exhibition making, supporting artists’ voices while deepening public engagement with the museum’s collection and programs.

Textiles Close Up has been a flagship TSA program since 2013, offering scholars, artists, educators, and the public meaningful opportunities to engage deeply with textile collections through curated study sessions and guided tours. In 2026, the program expands across Central New York and online, positioning the region as a site of innovation while acknowledging the complex histories of Indigenous, immigrant, and regionally rooted textile traditions.

Textiles Close Up workshops offer a unique opportunity to gain exclusive insight into significant textile collections housed in museums, laboratories, and private settings. Led by field experts, these in-depth study programs are designed to provide participants with curated, behind-the-scenes education, fostering a deeper understanding and appreciation of textiles from varied, global perspectives.

We welcome textile artists and designers, scholars and researchers, museum and cultural professionals, students and educators, and members of the public who are curious about how contemporary creative practices and interdisciplinary research are expanding the field of textile studies.