Saturday, September 16, 2017
10 a.m. Refreshments       10:30 a.m.  Program

A Nomad’s Art: Anatolian Kilims

Sumru Belger Krody
Senior Curator, The Textile Museum, Washington, DC

The nomadic Anatolian women of the 18th and 19th centuries created colorful, visually stunning kilims that communicate much about the aesthetic choices they made in decorating their tents and surroundings. This presentation will showcase a collection of ninety-six artistically and historically significant Anatolian kilims that offers important clues to questions about design and design making, the functions kilims served, and the culture they were created in. This spectacular collection Anatolian kilims is a new gift to The Textile Museum by the Estate of Murad Megalli (who previously donated a large collection of his Uzbek ikats to The TM.)  Although we will explore deciphering the meaning of Anatolian kilims in this presentation, there is no denying that Anatolian kilims, with their bold but simple coloration, and large scale and skillfully balanced designs, have a very strong visual power for contemporary eyes.  The beauty and mystery that surrounds their origin, history, and designs serve to amplify this aesthetic power.

Sumru Belger Krody is Senior Curator at the George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum.  Her research interest is late antique and Islamic textiles with a special focus on the influence of textile techniques and structures on the artistic, social and economic power of textiles.  She has worked in a curatorial capacity on more than fifteen Textile Museum exhibitions.  Over the years she has authored and co-authored five books written to accompany her major exhibitions: Unraveling Identity: Our Textiles, Our Stories (2015), The Sultan’s Garden: the Blossoming of Ottoman Art (2012), Colors of the Oasis: Central Asian Ikats (2010), Harpies, Mermaids, and Tulips: Embroidery of the Greek Islands and Epirus Region (2006) and Flowers of Silk and Gold: Four Centuries of Ottoman Embroidery (2000).  Sumru invites TMA/SC members to bring Turkish kilims for a show & tell.

Luther Hall,  Lower Level     St. Bede’s Episcopal Church
3590 Grand View Blvd.  Los Angeles, CA  90066-1904
Just south of the 10 freeway, and west of the 405, near the intersection of Centinela and Palms. 
Free parking.

Admission:    TMA/SC Members  Gratis . . . . .  Guests  $10