SCHG April 2004:
Program: Beauty for the Hand and Eye: Guatemalan Textile Techniques from the Atwater Collection
with Ann Deegan
Saturday, April 10 2004
Location: Los Angeles Valley College,
5800 Fulton Ave, Valley Glen
Behavioral Science Building, Room 102
(Directions)
Program Time: 10:00 a.m. (General Meeting will follow)
This talk relates to the current textile exhibit at the
San Bernardino County Museum. It will highlight several Guatemalan textile techniques found
in Mary Atwater's many publications and textiles. Mary Atwater was
instrumental in reviving handweaving in the United States during the first
half of the 20th century. During her 1946 trip to Guatemala, she collected
textiles and observed weaving processes. On her return she analyzed,
reproduced, and translated many of these textile techniques from the
indigenous back-strap Guatemalan loom to a form usable on the European style
loom of weavers in the United States publishing her results in the book
Guatemala Visited--still a rich source of information to artists today
including weavers, needleartists, and others.
The Southern California Handweaver's Guild purchased Mary Atwater's textile
collection and library in 1956 shortly after her death, and donated them to
the San Bernardino County Museum in 1989. Numerous textiles and publications
from this collection are presented in the current exhibit, Beauty for Hand
and Eye, which runs through July 4th, 2004. This talk will include an
illustrated presentation of several of these techniques and additional
Guatemalan textiles.
About Ann Deegan
Ann Deegan is Curator and Head of the History Division at the San Bernardino
County Museum. She has a Ph.D. from the University of Maryland in the area
of historic textiles and a M.S. from the University of California, Davis, in
Textiles. As part of her job she curates and researches the Mary Meigs
Atwater Collection, a part of the Western Textile Center Collection of the
San Bernardino County Museum.
Related Publication
A new San Bernardino County Museum Association Quarterly (vol. 51 #2), "A
Blaze of Color: Mary Meigs Atwater and the Guatemalan Textile Tradition" is
now available. This journal follows one of the foremost weavers of the first
half of the 20th century, Mary Atwater, on her journey to Guatemala in 1946
through a reprint of her book, Guatemala Visited, and the first publication
of her daily journal from that trip. Additional summaries are included by
the Curator of History, Ann Deegan, to place her trip and work in historical
context. This volume is liberally illustrated with black and white and color
plates of textiles and graphed designs of Guatemalan textile motifs from the
Mary Meigs Atwater Collection in the San Bernardino County Museum. This
volume should appeal to anyone wanting an exciting adventure story,
anthropologists and textile historians seeking insight into Guatemala of
1946, and fiber artists looking for design inspiration, including weavers
and needleartists. Of special note are the weaving instructions found in
Guatemala Visited that allow use of modern looms to produce timeless
techniques.
Any questions can be directed to the Program Chair.
We hope to see you at the April meeting!
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