Early 2020 brought the world to a standstill as we hunkered down to slow the spread of COVID-19. This slowness allowed for many of us to begin re-connecting with ourselves and our local environments. Some people took up textile crafts in order to fill their time—whether as a reassuringly familiar hobby or an adventure in new skills. Others pursued entrepreneurship—in both established and new businesses—in textiles, a trade in which “working from home” has a long history.
Arpillera, 1973 – 2000, Peru, 8 x 8 x 4 in. (19 x 19 x 10 cm), Gift of Karen Jenson & Dr. Reginald III Rutherford, Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2007.01.021
As we reflect on the changes of the past year, we are interested in the ties between textile making, meanings of home, and slowness, as well as links to local fiber production and other place-based inspirations, both historically and today. What lessons from the past did we enact over the past year? And what lessons might we have developed for the future?
Textiles from Home will explore the intersection of textiles and their local environments. As we focus on local production of fiber and craft, we also advocate for the global connections that our currently online lives allow. We welcome proposals for case studies, comparisons, or thematic approaches to textiles: materials, acts of making, objects, and their local ecosystems, and the connections between these. We also encourage the submission of trans-disciplinary and interdisciplinary research for this investigation.
We also encourage alternative presentations such as virtual farm visits, studio tours, artist talks, virtual visits to textile heritage sites, demonstrations, classes or skill sharing, and conversations on particular themes between two or more people. We are also interested in the submission of patterns, tutorials, or other forms of inspiration that relate to your local fibers but might be followed or adapted by symposium participants in other localities.
Please submit proposals of c. 250 words for papers, presentations, virtual tours, and other creative formats along with a 1-page c.v. or biographical statement for each participant by 22 January 2021. Proposals may be submitted individually or in small groups.
You must be logged in to post a comment.