stories of migration: contemporary artists interpret disapora
DESCRIPTION
Guide to the George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum's exhibition (April 16-September 4, 2016)TRANSCRIPT
Location The museum is located at the corner of 21st and
G streets, NW, four blocks from the Foggy Bottom
Metro station (Blue, Orange, and Silver lines).
For directions and parking information, visit
museum.gwu.edu/plan-visit.
Hours
Mon, Wed–Fri: 11:30 AM–6:30 PM
Sat: 10 AM–5 PM; Sun: 1–5 PM
Closed Tuesdays and university holidays.
Admission
$8 suggested donation for non-members.
Free for museum members, children, and
current GW students, faculty, and staff.
Accessibility
The museum is wheelchair accessible and
designated garage parking is available nearby.
Visit museum.gwu.edu/accessibility for
more information.
Museum Shop Visit the shop for unique jewelry, home décor,
books, and gifts from Washington, D.C., and
around the world.
Arthur D. Jenkins Library The reading room is open Wed–Fri: 1–4 PM and
by appointment. Please contact the librarian
before your visit at [email protected].
Albert H. Small Center for National Capital Area Studies The reading room is open by appointment
Mon, Wed–Thu: 11:30 AM–4 PM
Please email [email protected]
to make an appointment.
Museum Information
The George Washington University Museum and
The Textile Museum
701 21st Street, NW, Washington, DC 20052
202-994-5200 | museum.gwu.edu
This exhibition is made possible in part through support from Roger and Claire Pratt,
Eleanor T. Rosenfeld, and a partnership with the Cultural Services of the French Embassy.
Cover: Margaret Abramshe, Stranger in a Strange Land
(detail), 2015.
Public Programs For the most up-to-date list of the
museum’s educational programs, visit
museum.gwu.edu/calendar.
Exhibition Tours Free walk-in tours highlighting selections from
current exhibitions are offered each Saturday
and Sunday at 1:30 PM (textile tour) and 2:45 PM
(Washingtoniana tour).
To schedule a docent-led tour for groups of six
to forty people, call 202-994-5578 at least four
weeks in advance.
Join or Donate Support from members and donors is the
driving force that allows the museum to continue
its work bringing art, history, and culture alive
for the GW community and the public. To join
or renew a current membership, or to make
a donation, visit museum.gwu.edu/support or call 202-994-5579.
Stay in Touch Follow the museum online for more information
about works on view, programs, and behind-the-
scenes activities.
@GWTextileMuseum
TextileMuseum
GWMuseum
Textile-Museum.tumblr.com
April 16 – September 4, 2016
Below: Susan Else,
Crossing Points (detail), 2015.
Stories of Migration: Contemporary Artists Interpret Diaspora is a collaboration between the George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum, GW’s Diaspora Program, and Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA).
Above Right: Susan Wei, Children are Not Criminals, 2014.
Below: Nancy Lemke, Only 8½ of Many Millions, 2015.
Above: Sandy Gregg, Crossings II (detail), 2015.
Left: Joy Nebo Lavrencik, MOGADISHU, 2012.
ick up any newspaper, turn on the television, or surf the Internet, and you will find powerful stories of
immigrants escaping war, economic hard-ship, and despair in search of a better life. Heartrending images of families fleeing their homes clutching meager textile belongings—quilts, carrying cloths, a few garments—appear daily on our screens. The story of diaspora and migration therefore is not one story but millions. The artists in Stories of Migration: Contemporary Artists Interpret Diaspora tell some of these stories.
For more than a thousand years, textile artists in the West have used tapestry and embroidered cloth to tell important stories, conveying significant cultural information about religious and historical events.
In recent years, quilts have served this same function: illustrating noteworthy historical events; celebrating friendships, births, and marriages; and mourning the loss of friends and family from death or relocation. The artworks in this exhibition continue this storytelling role. They are visual “books” that serve as a reference library for the human experience of migration. Combining the traditional quilt format with innovative twenty-first century technologies, the forty-four artists in this exhibition powerfully comment with fabric, needle, and thread on diaspora, the overarching narrative of our time.
As of 2013, more than 232 million people (approximately 3.2 percent of the world’s population) were migrants. Almost two in ten persons living in a developed country today are migrants, according to the United Nations’ International Immigration Report 2013. And the numbers are increasing.
Above: Shin-Hee Chin,
Mother Tongue and
Foreign Language, 2013.
The diaspora identity is characterized by hybridity: It is a mix of characteristics from the place of origin, the place of residence, and lived experience. This mix is precisely the foundation upon which modern societies have flourished, incorporating diversity along with shared values and aspirations.
Above: Charlotte S. Bird,
Sedna's Tears, 2015.
What is diaspora and
what is the diaspora identity?
Coined in the third century, the term diaspora originated from a Greek word meaning “a scattering or sowing of seed.” Traditionally the term was limited to the Jewish dispersion. Since the early 1990s, however, many dictionaries have expanded the definition to include any body of people living outside their traditional homeland. This broader definition reflects the changing magnitude and nature of global migration. Since 1990, world migra-tion increased by more than fifty percent.
Location The museum is located at the corner of 21st and
G streets, NW, four blocks from the Foggy Bottom
Metro station (Blue, Orange, and Silver lines).
For directions and parking information, visit
museum.gwu.edu/plan-visit.
Hours
Mon, Wed–Fri: 11:30 AM–6:30 PM
Sat: 10 AM–5 PM; Sun: 1–5 PM
Closed Tuesdays and university holidays.
Admission
$8 suggested donation for non-members.
Free for museum members, children, and
current GW students, faculty, and staff.
Accessibility
The museum is wheelchair accessible and
designated garage parking is available nearby.
Visit museum.gwu.edu/accessibility for
more information.
Museum Shop Visit the shop for unique jewelry, home décor,
books, and gifts from Washington, D.C., and
around the world.
Arthur D. Jenkins Library The reading room is open Wed–Fri: 1–4 PM and
by appointment. Please contact the librarian
before your visit at [email protected].
Albert H. Small Center for National Capital Area Studies The reading room is open by appointment
Mon, Wed–Thu: 11:30 AM–4 PM
Please email [email protected]
to make an appointment.
Museum Information
The George Washington University Museum and
The Textile Museum
701 21st Street, NW, Washington, DC 20052
202-994-5200 | museum.gwu.edu
This exhibition is made possible in part through support from Roger and Claire Pratt,
Eleanor T. Rosenfeld, and a partnership with the Cultural Services of the French Embassy.
Cover: Margaret Abramshe, Stranger in a Strange Land
(detail), 2015.
Public Programs For the most up-to-date list of the
museum’s educational programs, visit
museum.gwu.edu/calendar.
Exhibition Tours Free walk-in tours highlighting selections from
current exhibitions are offered each Saturday
and Sunday at 1:30 PM (textile tour) and 2:45 PM
(Washingtoniana tour).
To schedule a docent-led tour for groups of six
to forty people, call 202-994-5578 at least four
weeks in advance.
Join or Donate Support from members and donors is the
driving force that allows the museum to continue
its work bringing art, history, and culture alive
for the GW community and the public. To join
or renew a current membership, or to make
a donation, visit museum.gwu.edu/support or call 202-994-5579.
Stay in Touch Follow the museum online for more information
about works on view, programs, and behind-the-
scenes activities.
@GWTextileMuseum
TextileMuseum
GWMuseum
Textile-Museum.tumblr.com
April 16 – September 4, 2016
Below: Susan Else,
Crossing Points (detail), 2015.
Stories of Migration: Contemporary Artists Interpret Diaspora is a collaboration between the George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum, GW’s Diaspora Program, and Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA).
Above Right: Susan Wei, Children are Not Criminals, 2014.
Below: Nancy Lemke, Only 8½ of Many Millions, 2015.
Above: Sandy Gregg, Crossings II (detail), 2015.
Left: Joy Nebo Lavrencik, MOGADISHU, 2012.
ick up any newspaper, turn on the television, or surf the Internet, and you will find powerful stories of
immigrants escaping war, economic hard-ship, and despair in search of a better life. Heartrending images of families fleeing their homes clutching meager textile belongings—quilts, carrying cloths, a few garments—appear daily on our screens. The story of diaspora and migration therefore is not one story but millions. The artists in Stories of Migration: Contemporary Artists Interpret Diaspora tell some of these stories.
For more than a thousand years, textile artists in the West have used tapestry and embroidered cloth to tell important stories, conveying significant cultural information about religious and historical events.
In recent years, quilts have served this same function: illustrating noteworthy historical events; celebrating friendships, births, and marriages; and mourning the loss of friends and family from death or relocation. The artworks in this exhibition continue this storytelling role. They are visual “books” that serve as a reference library for the human experience of migration. Combining the traditional quilt format with innovative twenty-first century technologies, the forty-four artists in this exhibition powerfully comment with fabric, needle, and thread on diaspora, the overarching narrative of our time.
As of 2013, more than 232 million people (approximately 3.2 percent of the world’s population) were migrants. Almost two in ten persons living in a developed country today are migrants, according to the United Nations’ International Immigration Report 2013. And the numbers are increasing.
Above: Shin-Hee Chin,
Mother Tongue and
Foreign Language, 2013.
The diaspora identity is characterized by hybridity: It is a mix of characteristics from the place of origin, the place of residence, and lived experience. This mix is precisely the foundation upon which modern societies have flourished, incorporating diversity along with shared values and aspirations.
Above: Charlotte S. Bird,
Sedna's Tears, 2015.
What is diaspora and
what is the diaspora identity?
Coined in the third century, the term diaspora originated from a Greek word meaning “a scattering or sowing of seed.” Traditionally the term was limited to the Jewish dispersion. Since the early 1990s, however, many dictionaries have expanded the definition to include any body of people living outside their traditional homeland. This broader definition reflects the changing magnitude and nature of global migration. Since 1990, world migra-tion increased by more than fifty percent.
Stories of Migration: Contemporary Artists Interpret Diaspora is a collaboration between the George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum, GW’s Diaspora Program, and Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA).
Above Right: Susan Wei, Children are Not Criminals, 2014.
Below: Nancy Lemke, Only 8½ of Many Millions, 2015.
Above: Sandy Gregg, Crossings II (detail), 2015.
Left: Joy Nebo Lavrencik, MOGADISHU, 2012.
ick up any newspaper, turn on the television, or surf the Internet, and you will find powerful stories of
immigrants escaping war, economic hard-ship, and despair in search of a better life. Heartrending images of families fleeing their homes clutching meager textile belongings—quilts, carrying cloths, a few garments—appear daily on our screens. The story of diaspora and migration therefore is not one story but millions. The artists in Stories of Migration: Contemporary Artists Interpret Diaspora tell some of these stories.
For more than a thousand years, textile artists in the West have used tapestry and embroidered cloth to tell important stories, conveying significant cultural information about religious and historical events.
In recent years, quilts have served this same function: illustrating noteworthy historical events; celebrating friendships, births, and marriages; and mourning the loss of friends and family from death or relocation. The artworks in this exhibition continue this storytelling role. They are visual “books” that serve as a reference library for the human experience of migration. Combining the traditional quilt format with innovative twenty-first century technologies, the forty-four artists in this exhibition powerfully comment with fabric, needle, and thread on diaspora, the overarching narrative of our time.
As of 2013, more than 232 million people (approximately 3.2 percent of the world’s population) were migrants. Almost two in ten persons living in a developed country today are migrants, according to the United Nations’ International Immigration Report 2013. And the numbers are increasing.
Above: Shin-Hee Chin,
Mother Tongue and
Foreign Language, 2013.
The diaspora identity is characterized by hybridity: It is a mix of characteristics from the place of origin, the place of residence, and lived experience. This mix is precisely the foundation upon which modern societies have flourished, incorporating diversity along with shared values and aspirations.
Above: Charlotte S. Bird,
Sedna's Tears, 2015.
What is diaspora and
what is the diaspora identity?
Coined in the third century, the term diaspora originated from a Greek word meaning “a scattering or sowing of seed.” Traditionally the term was limited to the Jewish dispersion. Since the early 1990s, however, many dictionaries have expanded the definition to include any body of people living outside their traditional homeland. This broader definition reflects the changing magnitude and nature of global migration. Since 1990, world migra-tion increased by more than fifty percent.
Location The museum is located at the corner of 21st and
G streets, NW, four blocks from the Foggy Bottom
Metro station (Blue, Orange, and Silver lines).
For directions and parking information, visit
museum.gwu.edu/plan-visit.
Hours
Mon, Wed–Fri: 11:30 AM–6:30 PM
Sat: 10 AM–5 PM; Sun: 1–5 PM
Closed Tuesdays and university holidays.
Admission
$8 suggested donation for non-members.
Free for museum members, children, and
current GW students, faculty, and staff.
Accessibility
The museum is wheelchair accessible and
designated garage parking is available nearby.
Visit museum.gwu.edu/accessibility for
more information.
Museum Shop Visit the shop for unique jewelry, home décor,
books, and gifts from Washington, D.C., and
around the world.
Arthur D. Jenkins Library The reading room is open Wed–Fri: 1–4 PM and
by appointment. Please contact the librarian
before your visit at [email protected].
Albert H. Small Center for National Capital Area Studies The reading room is open by appointment
Mon, Wed–Thu: 11:30 AM–4 PM
Please email [email protected]
to make an appointment.
Museum Information
The George Washington University Museum and
The Textile Museum
701 21st Street, NW, Washington, DC 20052
202-994-5200 | museum.gwu.edu
This exhibition is made possible in part through support from Roger and Claire Pratt,
Eleanor T. Rosenfeld, and a partnership with the Cultural Services of the French Embassy.
Cover: Margaret Abramshe, Stranger in a Strange Land
(detail), 2015.
Public Programs For the most up-to-date list of the
museum’s educational programs, visit
museum.gwu.edu/calendar.
Exhibition Tours Free walk-in tours highlighting selections from
current exhibitions are offered each Saturday
and Sunday at 1:30 PM (textile tour) and 2:45 PM
(Washingtoniana tour).
To schedule a docent-led tour for groups of six
to forty people, call 202-994-5578 at least four
weeks in advance.
Join or Donate Support from members and donors is the
driving force that allows the museum to continue
its work bringing art, history, and culture alive
for the GW community and the public. To join
or renew a current membership, or to make
a donation, visit museum.gwu.edu/support or call 202-994-5579.
Stay in Touch Follow the museum online for more information
about works on view, programs, and behind-the-
scenes activities.
@GWTextileMuseum
TextileMuseum
GWMuseum
Textile-Museum.tumblr.com
April 16 – September 4, 2016
Below: Susan Else,
Crossing Points (detail), 2015.