Updated May 20, 2013:

Always a terrific blog from R. John Howe: Gordon Priest on Persian, Kurdish and Caucasian bags

Save the date: ARS October 18-20

April 2013 Newsletter:
(please click on link)

April newsletter

Save the dates!

May 8, 2013 6:30pm
May 4, 2013 - August 4, 2013
June 23, 2013
October 18-20

May 8, 2013 speaker: Walter Denny
"Carpets, Textiles and Islamic Art: Museum Practices in the 21st Century"
 Krimsa Gallery, 2190 Union Street, San francisco. Tel 415-441-4320

Walter B. Denny, Professor of Art History at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst will deliver an illustrated lecture about the planning and implementation of the new Islamic galleries at the Met., concentrating on the dramatically enhanced displays of carpets and textiles. He will also discuss the role of textiles and carpets in other new or renovated Islamic galleries, including the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, Qatar, the Louvre in Paris and the Detroit Institute of Arts, the David Collection in Copenhagen, and the forthcoming Aga Khan Museum in Toronto.

Just Opened!! At the deYoung. Jill D'Alessandro just opened a small exhibition of the deYoung's European textile collection
--from May 4, 2013 - August 4, 2013

European textile collection


June 23, 2013 Annual Gathering at Jim Dixon's Carpet Palace and Gardens, Occidental

Armenian Rug society
See Lauren Arnold's spectacular flicker pages! The Carpet Index
Further information to follow on the ARS website
Always a terrific blog from R. John Howe: R. John Howe's rug blog
An interesting new magazine:Carpet collector
An interesting blog "Where are the next generations of collectors to come from"
Eccentric Wefts

Calendar

Message to Members

For the 2011-2012 season, your SFBARS Program Committee, made up for now of Peter Poullada and Ben Banayan, have changed the usual pattern of meetings. Instead of trying to provide a lecture event each month or so, we have decided to concentrate activities around a few key events.

In general our idea is that events that have a social as well as an educational content are more successful and attractive to our members than simply a slide lecture. Thus we will seek to sponsor exhibits and team up with local organizations.

In this way we can bring you exhibits, lectures as well as social events. For suggestions for events of this kind, please contact Ben Banayan at benbanayan@hotmail.com.

Finally, since Peter Poullada officially retired from the position of President of the Society after ten years of service, effective July 1, 2011, the Board is seeking an appropriate replacement. Anyone interested in taking on the position or in joining the Board should please contact our Secrtary, Jon Elden, eldanj@yahoo.com.

Call for More New Blood!

We have welcomed Ben Benayan to our Board, and now we continue to look for committed and energetic individuals to join the Board and take an active role in the Society. We typically meet two times a year to organize events, review finances and plan new initiatives. We have several projects in mind for next year: recruiting new members, expanding and upgrading the web-site, arranging a variety of events, including our Annual Dinner/Auction, and raising our profile in the Bay Area community.

If you are interested in joining current Board members in any of these initiatives and/or in joining the Board, please contact Jon Eldan, Secretary, at eldanj@yahoo.com.

SFBARS is still looking for Members who are interested in taking leadership roles in the organizing of events and in helping out with hosting of speakers. We welcome those who wish to join the Board and help us continue the long tradition of a flourishing Society in the Bay Area. Anyone interested in asissting or joining the Board please contact Peter Poullada at sppoullada@sbcglobal.net. ...

Donors to SFBARS

We would like to extend special thanks to the following members who have made donations to the SFBARS Speakers Fund: Levon Der Bedrossian, Sue Zagars, Grace and John Smith, Barbara Levinson, and Leila Poullada.


LINKS

Disclaimer


Thomas Murray Arts Website Update Announcement

Thomas Murray Arts
Thomas Murray Arts

* * * * * * * * * *

COTIC New Gallery Space

COTIC
Carpets of the Inner Circle: New Gallery Space


!! Books !!

Book on the Qaraqalpaqs: By David and Sue Richardson

Five Centuries of Indonesian Textiles, Ruth Barnes and Mary Hunt Kahlenberg, eds., has received the R. L. Shep Award administered by the Textile Society of America. Jill D’Alessandro acted as the awarding committee chair. This comprehensive volume highlights Mary Hunt Kahlenberg’s personal collection of over 350 Indonesian ceremonial garments and textiles, which she has assembled over a 30-year period. Kahlenberg, a former Curator of Textiles at LACMA, has been at the forefront of the study of Indonesian textiles. For the first time important evidence for the antiquity of some of the textiles is given, including a surprising 15th-century date on some of the textiles.

Woven Structures: A Guide to Oriental Rug and Textile Analysis is back in print. Highly praised by the Murray Eilands, Marla Mallett’s book presents, for the first time, meticulously detailed descriptions of knotted pile and flatwoven structures that identify not only weaving techniques but the design characteristics they encourage. For complete information, www.marlamallett.com/book.htm.

Beduin Weaving of Saudi Arabia and Its Neighbors. SFBARS member Joy Hilden will present a slide lecture and spinning and weaving demonstration at Bookworks in Albuquerque, NM on October 16, 2011. For more information, joy@beduinweaving.com.


THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA RUG SOCIETY

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Photos from the annual joint meeting with the Armenian Rug Society
Armenian Rug Society
Many thanks to the gracious hosts Araxi and Joe Bezdjian!

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Textile Museum News
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Inauguration

The Turkish Cultural Foundation announces the inauguration of the Natural Dye Research and Development Laboratory, one of the world’s most advanced laboratories for research on natural dyes. Known as DATU in Turkey, the laboratory has been providing natural dye technical analysis services free of charge to museums and art institutions, including Topkapi Palace, in Turkey and Azerbaijan. DATU employs micro analysis techniques upon tiny fiber samples from antique carpets and textiles so that antique textiles can be properly preserved and restored. With one of the world’s largest natural dye collections, DATU also can recreate natural dye colors used in traditional Turkish weavings. DATU’s goal is to create a scientific inventory of natural dyes and contribute to the redevelopment of the natural dye production process, as well as spreading the use of natural dyes in textile production.


Other announcements

An interesting interview with Joy Totah Hilden author of a her new book Bedouin weaving of Saudi Arabia and its Neighbors

Links:

Video
Slideshow
Author
website

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Photos from Tom Cole Tribal Rugs opening:
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Duke Collection


References

When Carol Bier spoke to us in January, she promised to provide certain references people asked about. here they are:

Doris Duke's Shangri La -
http://shangrilahawaii.org/ is the site for the house itself with an option to Tour the Property, among many other options

Here is the database of the collection that is searchable on the web -
http://www.shangrilahawaii.org/page.asp?pageId=295

Information about Doris Duke the Collector -
http://www.shangrilahawaii.org/page.asp?pageId=232

Here is where you can download a PDF of the book "Doris Duke's Shangri La" by
Sharon Littlefield with an Introduction by Carol Bier -
http://www.shangrilahawaii.org/page.asp?pageId+279

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Peter Poullada, Jim Dixon and soome friends holding a Kizil Ayaq Turkmen trapping-- this last September 2011 at Jim's rug palace. A good time was had by all.

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Jay Jones hosting the Chinese seat mat exhibition last year at the Capri Motel

References



Membership Renewal Don’t forget to renew your membership; we now keep memberships on an annual basis, starting the first of the year. A form is attached for your use. We also welcome new members, if you wish to pass it to someone else.


San Francisco Bay Area Rug Society

A California Non-Profit Public Benefit Corporation*


RENEW MEMBERSHIP for 2011

TO RECEIVE THE NEXT NEWSLETTER

Membership Rates:

Please Note: Fees are on an annual basis, and entitle members to receive the newsletter by email with notices of meetings and other events. If you wish to receive your newsletter by postal service, you will be charged an additional $15 for the added cost of printing and stamps. Please select your membership category and submit your email or postal mailing address below.



c Contributions to the Honorarium Fund provide additional support for programs and speakers. I wish to contribute $____________

c I am willing to host speakers visiting the Bay Area.

Please send your subscriptions/renewals (checks made out to SFBARS) to:

SFBARS c/o J. Van Lang

6 Muir Avenue, Piedmont CA. 94610

Thank you for your participation and ongoing interest in SFBARS.

Sincerely, Membership Information:

Name:
Jacqueline Van Lang Address:
Director of Membership/Subscriptions
email: jvanlang@hotmail.com Email:
Phone (optional):
.




SFBARS Board Members

President--Vacant, to be appointed

Secretary--Jon Eldan

Treasurer--Renee Rausin

Membership--Jacqueline Van Lang

Newsletter--Jacqueline Van Lang

Program co-Chair--Peter Poullada

Program co-Chair--Ben Banayan Program co-Chair

Webmaster--Hillary Dumas

Jim Dixon

Karina Nilsen

Elizabeth Shedd

Amir Abadi

Honorary Members--Murray Eiland, John Sommer, Pat Leiser


Your browser may not support display of this image.

Your browser may not support display of this image.

Members may contact Peter Poullada at sppoullada@sbcglobal.net.

The San Francisco Bay Area Rug Society is a nonprofit organization whose publications and events are supported by your subscriptions. Individual subscriptions are $40 annually, $60 for two people at the same address. Please send renewals, address changes, or subscriptions to Jacqueline Van Lang, SFBARS Membership, 6 Muir Ave., Piedmont, CA 94610. jvanlang@hotmail.com. For more information about SFBARS, including information about membership, an archive of past Newsletter articles, rug pictures and other features, please explore the SFBARS website at www.sfbars.org.

All SFBARS Dealers SFBARS has a large stock of the exhibition catalogue, Oriental Rugs from Pacific Collections by Murray Eiland, from the 1990 ICOC conference in San Francisco. We are eager to donate them to interested galleries and dealers who will help the Society solicit NEW MEMBERS. If you are interested, please contact Peter Poullada

: Peter Poullada


Oriental Rugs in Medieval European Paintings Oriental Rugs in Medieval European Paintings, from Azerbaijanrugs.com

Article by Jim Allen. Early Turkoman Design Evolution

online exhibition. Trefoil show

TREFOIL--1990 show at Mills College. (web page in process)


ANNOUNCEMENTS

The Armenian Rugs Society maintains a database of inscribed Armenian rugs. see: Armenian rug society

"We would always appreciate hearing about your inscribed Armenian rug and invite you to add it to our growing database Please contact us us at info@armenianrugssociety.com "


A few photos from the June 10th meeting at Jim Dixon's

For some interesting photos of ICOC Istanbul see

http://krauss.ws/travel/t/indext.ht m

and

Turkotek.com

(discussion forums/traveler's reports)

and, of course,

Hali.com


Passages

Natasha Eiland (1941-2012)

On behalf of all the members of the San Francisco Bay Area Rug Society and the Bay Area Rug community in general, we would like to express our sympathies to Emmett Eiland and his family over the sad news of the recent passing of Natasha Eiland. We will mourn her loss and wish peace and comfort to all her family and friends. She was always a cheerful supporter of SFBARS activities and we will miss her spirit and love of all things related to ethnic textiles

D. GILBERT DUMAS (1928-June 19, 2008)

He was an inspiration to many beginning rug collectors. He is hugely missed.

PETER LYMAN (1940-2007)

The Bay Area rug community has lost a special person. Peter Lyman passed away on July 2, after a battle with cancer. He was 66. Peter was a past president of SFBARS and an editor of the newsletter. He was an active and knowledgeable collector of antique oriental rugs and other art objects, mainly from the Himalayas and China. Those of us who knew Peter can testify to his extraordinary passion for art and his wide-ranging interests and tastes in both antique and contemporary works.

Well traveled and read, Peter knew the art and artifacts of many traditional cultures, especially in the area of rugs and other textiles. Peter was known as somebody who always extended himself to others with warmth, concern, thoughtfulness, and kindheartedness. He was particularly supportive of dealers and other collectors, always offering helpful advice and an encouraging word.

Peter felt strongly about furthering a public presence and appreciation for art. Among other art-related activities, he donated important pieces to museums, and he worked with the Art History Information Project at the Getty Trust. Peter was also a board member of the Textile Arts Council. In addition to his talents as a collector of Asian art, Peter was a gifted and dedicated teacher. Known for his exceptional mentoring skills, he developed an almost legendary reputation among his students.

Peter taught for many years at Michigan State, followed by a highly successful stay at the University of Southern California, where he revolutionized the university library for the new digital age. He moved to Berkeley after being appointed to the position of University of California Librarian. Most recently, he served as Professor in The School of Information at UC Berkeley, becoming known for his research on online information and social networks on the Internet. Peter was an inveterate art lover, a talented and accomplished person, and a caring and giving human being. His presence, vision, and generosity will be sorely missed.

A memorial service for Peter will he beheld between 5 and 7 pm on Tuesday, September 11, in the Morrison Room in Doe Library at the UC Berkeley campus. Those wanting to honor his memory are invited to contribute to the newly established Peter Lyman raduate Fellowship in New Media. Checks should be addressed to the UC Berkeley Foundation and sent to the UC Center for New Media, 390 Wurster Hall, # 1066, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-4600.

Robert Dunn

CHARLES LAVE
Charles Lave and Bethany Mendenhall

I recently received the following message about Charles Lave whom many of you know.
It is with great sadness that we inform you and your rug society members of the death of Charles Lave, who passed away on May 2. The cause of death was complications arising from myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), a progressive bone marrow stem cell disorder. According to his wife Bethany Mendenhall, he experienced a gradual decline in health following his diagnosis early last fall, and he passed away peacefully last Friday at his Irvine, California, home. As you know, Charles was both a respected textile collector and one of ACOR¢s most influential organizers, having spearheaded, along with Bethany, the management of the dealer fairs for many past rug conferences. He was a towering presence among his rug world peers, and his knowledge, energy, and memorable personality will long be missed. Bethany reports that a memorial service is being planned, probably to take place in the early fall. Meanwhile, she can be reached via mail at Post Office Box 6094, Irvine, CA 92616, by phone at 949-856-0485, and by email at bmendenhall@cox.net.

JOSEPHINE POWELL

A great friend of the Oriental Carpet has recently died.
H.D.

NANCY NORRIS-LONDON

It is also with great sadness that we announce the untimely death of a friend, colleague and (past) member of SFBARS, Nancy Norris-London. Nancy died this past July in the care of her loving family. She, as many of you know, was passionate about both carpets and textiles and was deeply connected to both communities. To honor her, the Nancy Norris-London Memorial Fund has been established by the Textile Arts Council of San Francisco. Donations will be used to purchase an item (or items) that will be given to the Textile Department of the San Francisco Fine Arts Museums (de Young and Legion of Honor). Contributions should be sent to the Textile Arts Council, de Young Museum, 500 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive, San Francisco, CA 94118, with Nancy Norris-London's name in the memo portion of the check. All contributions are tax deductible.
Kathy Judkins

ROGER CAVANNA
Roger and Pamela Cavanna

On the Subject of Memorials I wanted to pay a belated tribute to Roger Cavanna, a delightful, generous spirit and loyal supporter of the Society, who passed away last year.
I knew Roger for over twenty years and found him to be one of those real originals, with a passion and love for both carpets and for Persia that was always inspiring. We are proud that his family are keeping the tradition alive in the Bay Area and welcome them as Members.

PP


SFBARS MEMBER QUESTIONNAIRE

In the interest of planning future events, the SFBARS Board wishes to solicit opinions and suggestions from our members. Please read the following questions carefully and fill out your answers as indicated. We hope this information will assist us in mapping our program schedule for the coming months.

1. In addition to presentations and lectures, what kinds of events would you like to see SFBARS put on?

2. What is important to you in attending SFBARS events?

Learning opportunities ______________
Social exchanges __________________
Viewing pleasures _________________
Other (explain) _______________________________________________
____________________________________________________________

3. What do you like or dislike about our current program?

4. Would you be willing to pay extra for special events such as workshops, seminars, or conferences?

yes ______
no ______

5. What thoughts or ideas do you have for making SFBARS more interesting, exciting, and worthwhile (use back of sheet if necessary)?

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Some of you have expressed an interest in receiving the newsletter by email. The SFBARS Board recently discussed the matter and has decided to request that all members send us their email addresses. For those of you who choose this option, it would serve a number of useful purposes. First, an emailed newsletter would avoid both the perils and expenses of the postal service. Second, it would give us a quick and effective means of contacting you in special circumstances, e.g. cancelled events or new or lost addresses and/or phone numbers. Generally, your email addresses would add an extra layer of contact and communication between the board and the membership.

Those of you who are interested in this option should send your email addresses to the following people:

************** :Jacqueline Van Lang, Membership


Articles and Reviews

"Mughal Rugs Revisited .

Moghul Rugs: A Controversy Revisited

Steven Cohen's article "Indian or Persian?" in Hali [1], , regarding the three recently discovered 17th century classic carpets in San Francisco's Asian Art Museum (AAM) once again brings up the decades old controversy about just where the “Indo-Persian” rugs were made. Rug specialists continue to argue over the Persian versus Indian origin of these rugs--an argument which has led to a bewildering array of designations: Herat, Esfahan, Indo-Persian, Indo-Isfahan, Indo-Portuguese, Lahore, Agra, Mughal, etc.

Mughal Rugs: A Controversy Revisited continued: full article

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"Holbein" variant .

Painting of a Para Mamluk or "Holbein" variant rug

A hitherto unknown type of "Holbein" variant rug appears in a painting dated 1504 that covers one of the two shutters of the cathedral's organ in The Cathedral Saint Jean Baptiste, Perpignon, France. The paintings are nearly 40 feet high...


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A few Kazak photos

"Indo/Persians" Appendix: 100 Years of Opinions: 1900-2004
Ersari
Mosaics: by Pat Leiser
Curious fragment
Curious fragment revisited
Armenian exhibition
Potpourri icoc exhibition
Discovery of Mughal rugs
Afghan War Rugs
Syrian rugs
Rug forgery: by Diane Mott
Rugs in Paintings (bibliography): by Pamela Bensoussan ASA

Elena Tsareva spoke to us: by John Sommers

Book Reviews: (click on link)

Review of The Nomadic Peoples of Iran by Peter Poullada

More photos: (click on link)

Heavenly Gardens
Occidental
SFBARS Potpourri show ICOC

Past Meetings of SFBARS

1995-1998

1999-2000

2001-2003

2004

2005

2006

Past Newsletters

February 2008

April 2008

May 2008

June 2008

September 2008

October 2008

December 2008

February 2009

March 2009

May 2009

September 2008

September 2009

October2009

December 2009

January 2010

April 2010

May 2010

September 2010

November 2010

past events


Contacts

sfbars president: Peter Poullada
For website information please contact Hillary Dumas

(flying carpet circa 1974)
:Hillary


Thanks for dropping by!

The San Francisco Bay Area Rug Society is a nonprofit organization whose publications and events are supported by your subscriptions. Individual subscriptions are $40 annually, $60 for two people at the same address. $10 reduction for e-mail subscriptions only. $15 for students with ID. Please send renewals, address changes, or subscriptions to Jacqueline Van Lang, SFBARS Membership, 6 Muir Ave., Piedmont, CA 94610. :Jacqueline Van Lang, Membership

For more information about SFBARS, including information about membership, an archive of past Newsletter articles, rug pictures and other features, please explore the SFBARS website at www.sfbars.org. >

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