On January15, 2011, the Santa Cruz Handweavers Guild and The Museum of Art & History in Santa Cruz will cosponsor the Nora Rogers Memorial Fiber Arts Lecture. The speaker, Desiree Koslin, will present Duodji Soft: Tradition, Authenticity and Innovation in Sami Textiles.
The distinctive dress and fabrics of the once nomadic Sami people of northwestern Eurasia share methods and materials with other subarctic groups and with settled farming communities. Weaving techniques include use of the ancient warp-weighted loom, extinct elsewhere in the world, as well as elaborate braided and warp-patterned bands. During the 20th century, the Sami encountered a shrinking environment for their old ways of life and work, while at the same time, the Sami became engaged in the need to document and strengthen their cultural identity. Today, makers and artists steeped in tradition experiment with new and exciting forms of expression.
Desiree Koslin teaches graduate textile courses at the Fashion Institute of Technology, State University of New York and New York University. Her areas of expertise include medieval art history with a special interest in the technology and design of textiles, as well as clerical and secular medieval dress. In addition, she is active in woven and mixed media textile creation. She has authored articles on textiles for academic press books, reference works and journals, and she lectures frequently in museums.
Time and Date: 1:00 PM, Saturday, January 15, 2011
Place: The Museum of Art & History, 705 Front Street, Santa Cruz, CA
