Weavings of War: Fabrics of Memory Exhibit and Performance at Vermont Folklife Center
Date2005
Mediumborn digital photography
ClassificationsGraphics
Credit LineConnecticut Cultural Heritage Arts Program collections
CopyrightIn Copyright
Object number2015.196.754.1-.18
DescriptionPhotographs of the "Weavings of War: Fabrics of Memory" exhibition and performance at the Vermont Folklife Center in 2005. CCHAP visited this event before the showing of the exhibit at ICR in Hartford during 2006-2007.
(.1) Image of the Lao khene player and his family at the performance hosted by the Vermont Folklife Center.
(.2) Image of the Lao musical performance.
(.3-.4) Images of the Lao khene player and presenter onstage as part of the "Weavings of War" exhibition and with his wife.
(.5-.18) Images of the "Weavings of War" exhibition at the Vermont Folklife Center.
NotesSubject Note: On October 27, 2006, the Institute for Community Research (ICR) hosted an opening reception for the traveling exhibition "Weavings of War: Fabrics of Memory." This thought-provoking exhibit featured sixty appliqués, clothing, embroideries, story cloths, and woven rugs created by artisans from war-torn countries around the world. While the textiles depict startling images of conflict, the exhibit also demonstrated that art, narrative, and tradition can help to heal those who have suffered through strife. The exhibit was displayed at the Jean J. Schensul Community Gallery at ICR, 2 Hartford Square West Suite 100, 146 Wyllys St, in Hartford, CT, from October 27, 2006 through January 13, 2007, the only showing in New England.(.1) Image of the Lao khene player and his family at the performance hosted by the Vermont Folklife Center.
(.2) Image of the Lao musical performance.
(.3-.4) Images of the Lao khene player and presenter onstage as part of the "Weavings of War" exhibition and with his wife.
(.5-.18) Images of the "Weavings of War" exhibition at the Vermont Folklife Center.
ICR’s Connecticut Cultural Heritage Arts Program (CCHAP) worked closely with local community leaders whose cultures were represented in "Weavings of War," in organizing a series of events accompanying the exhibit, starting with a traditional artists’ market held at ICR in conjunction with Hartford Open Studios Weekend 2006. Other activities included an Afghan dinner, a Chilean story cloth workshop, presentations of personal experiences of war, a Cambodian court dance performance, and a presentation and discussion by Bosnian weavers, among several other events. These events brought forward the stories and direct experiences of those who live in Connecticut now as neighbors, sharing their powerful narratives of trauma and dislocation, seldom heard publicly, that gave testament to resilience, grace, and the power of art to heal. For many immigrant groups, teaching about cultural heritage and history is crucial to maintaining the health and well-being of the community, especially among the younger generations. These groups - Afghan, Laotian, Hmong, Vietnamese, Chilean, and Peruvian - represent important newcomers to the Greater Hartford area. Having lived under the threat of political turmoil and genocide, their cultural leaders are deeply committed to the survival of their languages and traditions. Local project partners have experienced the events that the textiles depict, and they contributed to the programming by offering narratives and performances about the events and their cultural contexts. They were concerned about public misunderstanding or the forgetting of important historical events, and wished to develop and maintain positive paths towards both integration and cultural preservation.
"Weavings of War: Fabrics of Memory" was a traveling exhibition curated by Ariel Zeitlin Cooke; produced by City Lore, Michigan State University Museum, and the Vermont Folklife Center; and funded by the Coby Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, Rockefeller Foundation, and Paul and Eileen Growald. ICR's programming was supported by the National Endowment for the Arts; the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism; The Edward C. and Ann T. Roberts Foundation; the Knox Foundation; the Connecticut Humanities Council; the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving; the Ensworth Charitable Foundation, Bank of America, Trustee; and the Greater Hartford Arts Council, through its United Arts and United Way campaigns.
The exhibit presented sixty traditional textiles made by artisans from several cultural groups worldwide, as well as textiles created by local artists from similar cultural backgrounds. The textiles, including embroideries, appliques, woven rugs, clothing, and story cloths, depicted motifs, images, or narratives of the wars and traumas undergone by these groups in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Textiles that are traditional in form and technique but include startling imagery of tanks, helicopters, and other depictions of battle became noticed in the 1980s, as refugees from the mujahadeen war with the Russian-backed government in Afghanistan fled to Pakistan. Their "war rugs" became highly valued by collectors, and found a popular market with New York street vendors. These rugs expressed many fascinating convergences and disjunctures, inviting investigation of traditional and contemporary art form definitions, anthropological topics such as the effect of dislocation on social and ethnic identity, changing concepts of oriental and western art, and debates about dealers' and collectors' effects on craft production and markets. Other themes suggested by these textiles explore women's resistance through narrative in various theatres of war, and the process of healing trauma through the production of art.
Additional materials exist in the CCHAP archive for this exhibit and programming.
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
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