The theme “Shifts and Strands: Rethinking the Possibilities and Potentials of Textiles” invites us to reflect on the many exciting shifts in textiles as historical and contemporary, cultural, creative, scholarly, political, discursive, and scientific practices. “Shifts” suggests transition, movement, evolution, mutability, instability, uncertainty, experimentation, and being in-progress or inprocess.
“Shifts” also reaffirms an ongoing process of transformation and change within the Textile Society of America. “Strands” is a textile metaphor that implies intertwining, connectedness, plurality, and multiple parts coming together to form a larger whole. “Strands” is a metaphor for collaboration, joining, and community. The Symposium theme is deliberately open, fluid, and inviting—it invites us to reflect upon the past and to envision and create
collective, equitable, sustainable, and emancipatory futures.
Building on TSA’s 2022 and 2023 Colloquium series, the Symposium will create spaces to decenter dominant and sometimes-oppressive discourses and frameworks of knowledge; to celebrate the plurality of textiles and textile cultures; and share and uplift caring, equitable, decolonial, and sustainable practices and models grounded in anti-racism, equity, and accessibility.
Concepts and keywords that have informed our thinking include: ruptures, repair, healing, care, sustainability, regeneration, rematriation, abolition, textile processes, being in process, materialities, interstices, emergence, research, citation, knowledges, honoring, ancestors, teaching, mentorship, nurturing, sharing, futurity, collaboration, innovation, science and community building.
The 2024 Symposium responds and contributes 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
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