Exhibition Opening Reception for "Rugs of Remembrance: Bosnian Weaving in Hartford"
SubjectPortrait of
Haris Gusta Guya
(Bosnian)
SubjectPortrait of
Ajsa Guster
(Bosnian)
SubjectPortrait of
Fatima Vejzovic
(Bosnian)
Date2011 November 4
Mediumborn digital photography
ClassificationsGraphics
Credit LineConnecticut Cultural Heritage Arts Program collections
CopyrightIn Copyright
Object number2015.196.745.1-.15
DescriptionPhotographs from opening reception for the exhibition "Rugs of Remembrance: Bosnian Weaving in Hartford" on display at the Institute for Community. The photographs of the displayed artworks and people attending the reception were taken on November 4, 2011.
(.1) Image of Haris Guster Guya playing Bosnian dance music on an electric keyboard for a group of dancers at the event.
(.2) Image of a rug woven by Ajsa Guster made from the natural wool of Shetland sheep that graze on the Hill-Stead Museum grounds in Farmington, Connecticut.
(.3) Image of women doing a traditional Bosnian circle dance.
(.4) Image of the memorial quilt made by women in Bosnia who helped their own healing process (after the genocide of the 1990s) by weaving squares with the names of their relatives who had died during the war. This piece was loaned to the exhibit by Advocacy Net.
(.5) Image of Fatima Vejzovic demonstrating weaving on her loom at the opening event.
(.6-.7) Images of women doing a traditional Bosnian circle dance.
(.8) Image of a “quilt” made of squares woven by six Hartford-based Bosnians with the names of their home towns. The weavers who participated in this group piece learned from experienced weavers how to do this, helping to preserve the art form.
(.9-.10) Images of Bosnian weavings on display in the gallery.
(.11) Image of a weaving made by Fatima Vejzovic inspired by a beloved goat from her farm in Bosnia, as a way to sell small pieces alongside her traditional rugs. This new style of weaving was displayed in the exhibit to show the new directions the weavers were taking to reach out to public audiences and new markets.
(.12) Image of weavings made by Ajsa Guster.
(.13) Image of people watching Fatima's weaving demonstration in the gallery.
(.14-.15) Images of rugs made by Hartford Bosnian weavers from the natural wool of Shetland sheep that graze on the Hill-Stead Museum grounds in Farmington, Connecticut.
NotesSubject Note: The Institute for Community Research (ICR) hosted the exhibition, "Rugs of Remembrance: Bosnian Weaving in Hartford," from November 3, 2011 to May 31, 2012, in the Jean J. Schensul Community Gallery at 2 Hartford Square West, 146 Wyllys St., in Hartford. The exhibit displayed hand woven rugs, carpets, and wall hangings made by skilled Bosnian weavers living in Hartford. A special memorial quilt from Bosnia was also on view, loaned by the social justice organization Advocacy Net. The opening event featured weaving demonstrations as well as Bosnian music and food.(.1) Image of Haris Guster Guya playing Bosnian dance music on an electric keyboard for a group of dancers at the event.
(.2) Image of a rug woven by Ajsa Guster made from the natural wool of Shetland sheep that graze on the Hill-Stead Museum grounds in Farmington, Connecticut.
(.3) Image of women doing a traditional Bosnian circle dance.
(.4) Image of the memorial quilt made by women in Bosnia who helped their own healing process (after the genocide of the 1990s) by weaving squares with the names of their relatives who had died during the war. This piece was loaned to the exhibit by Advocacy Net.
(.5) Image of Fatima Vejzovic demonstrating weaving on her loom at the opening event.
(.6-.7) Images of women doing a traditional Bosnian circle dance.
(.8) Image of a “quilt” made of squares woven by six Hartford-based Bosnians with the names of their home towns. The weavers who participated in this group piece learned from experienced weavers how to do this, helping to preserve the art form.
(.9-.10) Images of Bosnian weavings on display in the gallery.
(.11) Image of a weaving made by Fatima Vejzovic inspired by a beloved goat from her farm in Bosnia, as a way to sell small pieces alongside her traditional rugs. This new style of weaving was displayed in the exhibit to show the new directions the weavers were taking to reach out to public audiences and new markets.
(.12) Image of weavings made by Ajsa Guster.
(.13) Image of people watching Fatima's weaving demonstration in the gallery.
(.14-.15) Images of rugs made by Hartford Bosnian weavers from the natural wool of Shetland sheep that graze on the Hill-Stead Museum grounds in Farmington, Connecticut.
Greater Hartford is now home to several thousand Bosnians, many coming here as refugees from the war in the former Yugoslavia in the late 1990s and early 2000s. For the many widows in the community, continuing to practice their familiar arts of weaving, knitting, and crochet lace helps them to cope with the trauma of the genocide their families suffered. With the Bosnian community having a vibrant presence in Hartford, the exhibit provided a chance for audiences to meet these talented artists, learn more about Bosnian culture, and watch them weaving at their looms. The project created new opportunities for the weavers to teach others about their traditions, something they love to do.
Since 2007, ICR’s Connecticut Cultural Heritage Arts Program (CCHAP, now based at the Connecticut Historical Society) has worked with Bosnian artists to encourage production and marketing of their exquisite carpets, called ćilimi. CCHAP’s Sewing Circle project with newcomer textile artists in Greater Hartford has helped to improve English skills, involve the weavers in American society, and support their families. Some of the experienced weavers have been teaching young women in the community to weave, helping to pass on the tradition in their new home.
The exhibit displayed carpets and wall hangings made by five Bosnian weavers who have participated in the Sewing Circle Project. The weavers have been highly successful in continuing to produce and market their traditional weavings and selling them at craft fairs, farmers markets, and special events. Through a special partnership with Clatter Ridge Farm, whose sheep graze on the grounds of the Hill-Stead Museum in Farmington, Connecticut, the Bosnian weavers used their high-quality Shetland wool to create several new weavings that were on display in the exhibit. The natural colors and soft yet strong texture of the resulting carpets equal the quality of Navajo rugs. Several of these carpets were sold during the exhibit, with all profits going to the weavers. The weavers also made two new works, one a 12 x 9 foot carpet, and the other a “quilt” made up of squares woven by six different women with the names of their towns. The beginner weavers who participated in this group piece learned from the experienced weavers how to do this, helping to preserve the art form.
Also displayed in the exhibit was a large memorial quilt made by weavers in Bosnia who helped their own healing process (after the genocide of the 1990s) by weaving squares with the names of their relatives who had died during the war. CCHAP partnered with Advocacy Net, a DC-based non-profit that has worked with weavers in Bosnia after the war, to bring in the traveling quilt, which the Hartford weavers repaired with great care. This large-scale quilt was the centerpiece of the exhibit, a focal point for giving audiences some background information on the history of these newcomers.
Several events took place around the exhibit. The opening of the exhibit on November 4, 2012, featured Bosnian music and dancing as well as Bosnian food donated by the community. Susan Dunne of the Hartford Courant interviewed some of the weavers to learn about Bosnian culture and history. She wrote an article that was published on the front page of the Living Section of the Hartford Courant on November 9, 2011.
The exhibit was supported by the Aurora Women and Girls Foundation and the Greater Hartford Arts Council through contributors to its United Arts Campaign and the United Way Community Campaign. CCHAP’s participation was funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism, and the Institute for Community Research.
Biographical Note: Haris Guster Guya is a Bosnian musician based in Hartford, who plays traditional music on keyboards for Bosnian parties and gatherings. He is the son of weaver Ajsa Guster.
Biographical Note: Ajsa Guster is a skilled weaver of Bosnian ćilimi, carpets, wall hangings, and seat covers. She also knits and crochets. She has been a participant in CCHAP’s Sewing Circle Project since its beginning in 2007.
Biographical Note: Fatima Vejzovic is a skilled weaver of traditional Bosnian wool flat-weave carpets made on a simple wooden loom constructed by family members in her home. She learned this traditional craft from mothers, aunts, neighbors, and friends in her village, using wool from sheep raised on their farm. After the war Fatima and many weavers worked for Bosfam, a successful crafts cooperative established in Tuzla to assist women with income-generating projects while providing therapeutic and social support. Their work has appeared in catalogues selling the carpets internationally. Fatima arrived in Hartford with her family in 2002. Greater Hartford is now home to over 10,000 Bosnians, most coming as refugees from the war in the former Yugoslavia. For the women in the community, many of them widows, continuing to practice their familiar arts of weaving, knitting, and crochet lace helps them to cope with the trauma of the genocide their families suffered. Fatima’s art works include large floor carpets as well as smaller weavings, and she fashions the woven tapestry fabric into bags, purses, and pillows. Fatima also makes hand-knitted clothes, crochet lace tablecloths, and Bosnian socks worn inside the home. She won a 2021 Connecticut Office of the Arts Fellowship in Folk and Traditional Arts.
Bosnian flat-weave carpets, called ćilimi after their Turkish antecedents (kilims), adorn all parts of the home – floors, walls, chairs and sofas, tables, and beds. The weavings also serve an important function as prayer rugs for these Muslim families. While sometimes made commercially with chemical dyes, the traditional rugs woven by village women still use wool processed by them and colored with natural dyes. Ćilimi designs maintain their Turkish roots but also show European influences stemming from Bosnia’s close connections with Vienna in the early 20th century. Fatima weaves traditional geometric patterns in seemingly endless variations, and she also enjoys adding floral motifs and creating new pictorial designs. Fatima does not use templates or printed patterns – her designs are created as she starts a weaving on the loom, depending on what colors of wool she has available. She developed a new idea for a weaving depicting a whimsical goat, that she made into bags and wall hangings that have become very popular. Fatima also weaves lettering and names into a ćilim, creating a narrative feature that led to a multi-year commission to produce commemorative banners in the organization’s colors for the Aurora Foundation’s retiring board members.
Through a partnership with Clatter Ridge Farm, whose sheep graze on the grounds of the Hill-Stead Museum in Farmington, Connecticut, Fatima has created a series of weavings using their high-quality Shetland wool. The undyed wool gives the rugs a beautiful softness and durability as well as subtle variations of natural color.
Fatima taught her daughter, Fikreta Muratovic, to weave and they worked together for the Bosfam enterprise in Bosnia. As part of the Southern New England Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program in 2005, Fatima taught loom weaving to a younger Bosnian woman in Hartford, helping to pass on this beloved tradition in their new home. Fatima has given weaving workshops to Hartford students at four schools through Hartford Performs, and to students from Miss Porters School and the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts. Fatima has worked with three interns from Trinity College through the Sewing Circle Project. As part of the Hartford Performs program for teaching artists in schools, Fatima has taught the basics of loom weaving to students in Hartford, Windsor Locks, and Miss Porter’s School.
Fatima was one of the founding members of the Sewing Circle Project, which began in early 2007 as a partnership to encourage cultural sustainability among the many immigrant and refugee communities in the Greater Hartford area and across Connecticut. Engaging with public audiences has given Fatima opportunities to improve her English-speaking skills, broaden her social networks, and showcase Bosnian cultural traditions. She has demonstrated and sold her work at the Hartford Public Library World Refugee Day; Hartford Open Studio Weekends; the University of Connecticut; the Hill-Stead Museum; the Vermont Folklife Center; the American Folklore Society; the New York Folklore Society; the West Hartford Art League; Ten Thousand Villages; several local house parties; and at the Billings Forge Farmers Market. She enjoys creating new designs for private commissions. Fatima’s work has been included in exhibitions at the Institute for Community Research, the Connecticut Historical Society, the Connecticut Office of the Arts Gallery, and the Clare Gallery.
Additional photographic and video materials are present in the CCHAP archive relating to this event, this community, and the artists.
Cataloging Note: This project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services MA-245929-OMS-20.
Status
Not on view
Fatima Vejzovic
2011 November 16
Fatima Vejzovic
2015 March 14
