The New England Rug Society
A community of rug and textile lovers
The New England Rug Society (NERS) began in the 1980s, growing to be one of the largest and most active rug societies in the US. The resources for those interested in rugs and textiles expanded in the early 2000s, with a set of themed online exhibitions still available and enjoyable today. Starting in 2020, NERS began offering webinars that have been very popular, and extended the NERS community around the world. Now, NERS has members in ten different countries and growing, and recent webinars have typically drawn attendees from 30-50 countries. So wherever you’re from, enjoy the resources of our website, participate in our activities, and join the group!
Upcoming Events
Webinars
Ever-popular speaker Walter Denny joins NERS for his third webinar. Expanding on his provocative and engaging keynote address at the recent International Conference on Oriental Carpets, Walter will look at the future of carpet studies, noting that, unlike other areas of art history, our current knowledge of more recent carpets is primarily founded on, and continues to be furthered by, information from the marketplace.
Registration link:
In Anatolia, the 15th century was a turbulent era; after an invasion by Tamerlane’s forces, the Ottomans managed to regain and expand their power, conquering Constantinople and forcing resettlement of Anatolian Turkmen tribes. Deniz’s presentation examines so-called Varsak kilims from southwestern Turkey. He will maintain that these kilims can be associated with the late-15th century relocation of a group of Turkmen tribes.
Registration link:
https://tinyurl.com/DenizFringeplus
A finely woven rug held in the Konya Ethnographic Museum, dated to the 17th century, is actually a uniquely conceived Rum Seljuk-era prayer rug. Hewing closely to the generally accepted notion that epigraphy – the practice of adorning artifacts with text – is a foundation of Islamic art and culture; Hayes will show that the rug’s designer used pseudo-epigraphy to inscribe the divine name. This design evokes the mystical idea of a ‘concurrence of opposites’.
Registration link:
https://tinyurl.com/SeljukNERSfringefb
NERS joins the Textile Museum Associates of Southern California (TMA/SC) to co-sponsor.
Registration link:
The Levant, the culturally diverse territory of the eastern Mediterranean, came under Ottoman rule from the 16th century through the end of World War I. A cluster of silk weaving centers emerged in the Ottoman period encompassing both cottage industries and established workshops. The talk will outline the geopolitical influences on this textile group and present a range of silk garments, accessories and textile panels from the Ottoman era Levant.
Registration:
The Levant, the culturally diverse territory of the eastern Mediterranean, came under Ottoman rule from the 16th century through the end of World War I. A cluster of silk weaving centers emerged in the Ottoman period encompassing both cottage industries and established workshops. The talk will outline the geopolitical influences on this textile group and present a range of silk garments, accessories and textile panels from the Ottoman era Levant.
Registration link:
Meetings
Bring your Persian pile weavings—whether they were
made in urban workshops, town or village homes, or
tribal tents—to this friendly show-and-tell meeting! After
food and refreshments (provided, as at the picnic, by NERS),
members of our Steering Committee will start things off
with a few representative rugs and trappings of their own.
Then we’ll turn to whatever you bring—big or small, antique
or more recent—about which we encourage your comments,
not just on where and when your examples were made, but
also about what attracted you to them.
To provide the right amount of food, we need your
response not later than October 5. RSVP—indicating your
name and the names of those coming with you (guests
welcome, and welcome to bring rugs!)—to Jim Sampson:
[email protected].
Membership
We’re an informal group of many differing backgrounds and pursuits, all of us with a common focus: an intense appreciation of — and an ongoing curiosity about — antique oriental rugs and ethnographic textiles. Our members range from internationally known collectors to rank beginners. The only prerequisite to being welcomed as a member is an appreciation for the art form and a willingness to learn and share.
Join NERS and gain access to our growing archive of rug and textile webinars. Members also receive a copy of our latest newsletter via email, and of course, all members are invited to attend our in-person programs as well as our annual picnic.
Newsletter & Online Exhibitions
Newsletter
Titled View from the Fringe, our newsletter provides members with information regarding scheduled NERS events, upcoming textile exhibits, conferences, auctions as well as a summary of the previous meeting’s presentation.
Online Exhibitions
Starting in 2002, the New England Rug Society introduced a series of online exhibitions showcasing pieces from member collections. There are currently 6 exhibitions available. Please enjoy a visit to our online galleries!
