Loyola University Chicago

Department of Anthropology

archive

Dr. Jill Forshee to Speak on Sumba Textiles through Time

Photo credit: Julie Calcagno

In conjunction with Grace Iverson's ongoing exhibition of Indonesian textiles from the May Weber Collection, Jill Forshee will present a talk entitled "Enfolding Life, Death, History, and Flux: Sumba Textiles through Time" at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 21 in IES 123/124.

Vibrantly pictorial textiles from the island of Sumba, Indonesia have long marked social rank through impressive motifs and rich colors. These prestigious fabrics offer meaning and stability in their skillful and symbolic expressions, retelling stories of existence. They also visibly reveal influences from outsiders, such as Dutch colonial powers across Indonesia. In recent decades, Sumba textiles have entered the commodity flow of a global "ethnic arts" market. Forshee will present something of local culture along with shifts and changes in fabrics in past and present times.

Dr. Forshee's talk is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served.

Grace Iverson's exhibit, Women's Work: Sumba Textiles From the May Weber Collection, is on display on the second floor of the Damen Student Center through April 15.