Show-and-Tell of Turkish Rugs with Gerard Paquin

Introducing the program, NERS member, collector, and recent webinar-presenter Gerard Paquin will discuss various aspects of Turkish rugs, including their different formats, uses, regions of origin, and differing social milieux.
For the show-and-tell, which he intends as “a hands-on, open discussion,” Gerard will bring Turkish rugs from his own collection, most of them from the nineteenth century, to supplement those of meeting attendees. He requests that, in advance of the meeting, participants email him ([email protected]) pictures of the rugs they plan to bring.

All Tradition is Change: Scandinavian Peasant Textiles 1750-1900

From the middle of the 18th until the middle of the 19th century, a tradition of art weaving flourished among the peasantry of southern Sweden, particularly in the Skåne region. Utilizing an array of weaving and embroidery techniques, women in farming households produced textiles that marked holidays and life transitions, while providing festive decoration and enhancing their family’s status.

In addition to highlighting the beauty of these textiles, and some comparative examples from Norway and Finland, the presentation will place this tradition in the context of the economic, social, and sometimes individual, history of the weavers. The rise and fall (and subsequent revival) of this peasant art form illustrates that “all tradition is change”.