1:30 (prompt!)  Saturday, February 4, 2012

“Japanese Pictorial Ikats from the Krauss Collection”

with

Dr. Jeffrey Krauss

Textile Collector, and Physicist and Consultant, Potomac, Maryland

Sake-swilling imps, Buddhist saints in the form of pop-up dolls, turtles trailing seaweed as longevity symbols—this is the engaging imagery of Japanese e-gasuri, or “picture ikat” cloth.  Japanese weavers, like their counterparts in South, Southeast, and Central Asia, mastered the art of ikat, or the resist-dyeing of patterns into yarn before it is woven into cloth. Kasuri is the name of a rustic type of Japanese ikat cloth, almost always dyed deep blue with indigo, and E-gasuri designates kasuri cloth with pictorial motifs.  Fowler in Focus: Japanese Pictorial Ikats from the Krauss Collection features approximately thirty cloths selected from a large collection of e-gasuri donated to the Fowler Museum at UCLA by Dr. Jeffery Krauss of Potomac, Maryland, and is curated by Roy Hamilton, senior curator of Asian and Pacific collections.  Collector Jeff Krauss will give an exclusive lecture to TMA/SC members, describing the resist dyeing techniques used to make ikat, the introduction of kasuri and e-gasuri techniques in Japan, the specialized techniques used to make the pictures of e-gasuri, and regional differences in e-gasuri designs.  He will show examples of the auspicious symbols that are dyed and woven into e-gasuri pieces, and will talk about how he formed his collection, and where to find Japanese textiles to start your own collection.  We will visit the gallery exhibition following the talk.

Jeff Krauss holds a Ph. D. in theoretical physics and is a consultant in government regulation of telecommunications technology.  He collects Japanese textiles, with a focus on resist dyeing and particularly ikat-dyed textiles.  He has spoken about Japanese textiles and dyeing techniques at The Textile Museum in Washington DC on a number of occasions.  Jeff’s collection was exhibited at the Japan Information and Culture Center in 2006, and in 2008 he gifted 201 examples of e-gasuri to the Fowler, a portion of which is currently on exhibit in the “Fowler in Focus” Gallery through April 29.  He is a member of The Textile Museum Advisory Council, the webmaster for the Washington-based International Hajji Baba Society, and is its incoming President.

Room A139, A-Level, Fowler Museum, UCLA    
Directly opposite the Passenger Elevator

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

REFRESHMENTS: Due to the venue, we will not be able to serve refreshments, sorry.

PARKING:  Park in Parking Lot #4, off of Sunset Blvd. and Sunset Plaza.

Please allow at least 20 minutes before the program starts from your arrival at the
UCLA campus, to find the parking lot, pre-pay your parking at the Pay-Station (there may be a line),
and walk to the Fowler classroom.  Pre-paid Pay-Station parking is by the hour @ $3/hour.
BRING DOLLAR BILLS!