September

1
Labor Day: Museum Closed

3
Ask-a-Curator, Ask-a-Conservator
Wednesday, 10:30 am – 1 pm

Learn more about your own textiles from TM curatorial and conservation staff. While TM curators specialize in the textile arts of non-Western cultures, the conservation staff can answer questions about caring for textiles produced worldwide. Participants are invited to bring clean, well-vacuumed examples. Fee: free/members; $5/non-members. No reservations required.

6
Rug & Textile Appreciation Morning: “New Rugs: Giving the Craft Back to the Weaver”
Drew Wenchel
Saturday, 10:30 am

The audience is invited to bring clean, well-vacuumed examples related to the title of the program. Seating is limited, so please arrive early.
FREE; no reservations required.

6
Family First Saturday: "Tell Me a Tail”
Saturday, 2–4 pm

Did you know that horses, llamas and cats can all be found at The Textile Museum? Explore the current exhibitions and find animals in textiles. Listen to storyteller Judith Gravitz as she weaves tales about animals and art; then take part in an animal-inspired hands-on activity. FREE; no reservations required.

13
Rug & Textile Appreciation Morning: “Collectable Rugs and Textiles”
Mary Jo Otsea
Saturday, 10:30 am

The audience is invited to bring clean, well-vacuumed examples related to the title of the program. Seating is limited, so please arrive early. FREE; no reservations required.

13
Public Gallery Talk & Tour: BLUE
Lee Talbot, Assistant Curator, Eastern Hemisphere Collections and Mattiebelle Gittinger, Research Associate, Southeast Asian Textiles
Saturday, 1:00 pm

Take a tour of the exhibition before it closes on September 18! FREE; no reservations required. Limited to 35 participants.

13-14
Last Weekend to See BLUE!

BLUE closes on Thursday, September 18.

20
Rug & Textile Appreciation Morning: “The Practicalities of Buying, Owning and Caring for Rugs”
Fernando Cruz
Saturday, 10:30 am

Please note: this topic will now be led by Wendel Swan.

The audience is invited to bring clean, well-vacuumed examples related to the title of the program. Seating is limited, so please arrive early.
FREE; no reservations required.

20
Special Lecture and Book Signing: “Motifs in Migration:
Siberia to Scandinavia”
Mary B. Kelly
Saturday, 2:30 pm

Mary B. Kelly, a weaver, artist and professor, discusses how symbols on textiles traveled in prehistory and during the Migration Period from east to west along the Silk Road. For over 20 years, Kelly has researched and published on pre-Christian motifs in embroidery and weaving. The program includes interaction with textile examples of the symbols discussed. Participants are invited to a reception, sponsored by the Fiber Arts Study Group, immediately following the talk. Ms. Kelly will be available to sign her latest book, Goddess Embroideries of the Northlands. Copies of the book will be available for purchase. Fee: Free /members; $5/non-members. Advance registration required; space is limited. Call (202) 667- 0441, ext. 64 or click here for a registration form.

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October

1
Ask-a-Curator, Ask-a-Conservator
Wednesday, 10:30 am – 1 pm*

Fee: free/members; $5/non-members
Learn more about your own textiles from TM curatorial and conservation staff. While TM curators specialize in the textile arts of eastern hemisphere cultures, the conservation staff can answer questions about caring for textiles produced worldwide. No reservations required.

4
Rug & Textile Appreciation Morning: “Long Pile Rugs”
John Wertime and Wendel Swan
Saturday, 10:30 am*

The audience is invited to bring clean, well-vacuumed examples related to the title of the program. Seating is limited, so please arrive early. FREE; no reservations required.

4
Family First Saturday: “Terrific Textiles”
Saturday, 2–4 pm

Unravel the wonders of textiles at The Textile Museum. Explore the exhibitions, historic setting and gardens, and be transported to different places and times. Create your own handmade textile! FREE; no reservations required.

11
Annual TM Shop Sale
Saturday, 10 am–4 pm

Take advantage of savings of up to 50% on a selection of textiles, books, gifts and more.

13
Columbus Day: Museum Closed

16
Tribute Dinner
Thursday, 6:30 pm cocktails; 7:30 pm dinner

The Textile Museum will host its third Tribute Dinner fundraising gala on Thursday, October 16 at the historic Renaissance Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C. The Textile Museum will honor preeminent scholar Jon Thompson with the George Hewitt Myers Award, given in recognition of his lifetime achievement and exceptional contributions to the study and understanding of the textile arts. Also included in the evening program is the presentation of the Museum’s inaugural Awards of Distinction to longtime supporters Harold M. Keshishian, Alice Dodge Wallace and Edwin M. Zimmerman for their distinguished service in fulfillment of the Museum’s mission.

Click here for more information or to buy tickets.

17
Members Dessert Reception
Friday, 7:30–9 pm

Members are invited to a dessert reception celebrating the exhibition Timbuktu to Tibet: Rugs and Textiles of the Hajji Babas. Click here for more information or to rsvp.

17–19
The Textile Museum Fall Symposium: “Cultural Threads: Exploring the Context of Oriental Rugs and Textiles”
Friday, October 17–Sunday, October 19

Click here for a complete schedule or to register. Only a few spots remain, so register today!

23
Shop Event : “A South American-inspired Evening”
Thursday, 3–7 pm

Meet artisans and designers whose textiles have echoes of Latin American traditions. Featuring Evelyn Brooks’ Peruvian jewelry collection, Margaret Boyle handbags made from Peruvian fabrics, a new selection of handmade wool capes and shawls by Panza Verde of Argentina, and more! Refreshments will be served. Free; no reservations required.

25
Members Gallery Talk & Tour:
“Timbuktu to Tibet:Rugs and Textiles of the Hajji Babas”
Sumru Belger Krody, Associate Curator,
Eastern Hemisphere Collections
Saturday, 9:30 am
FREE; reservations required. Limited to 35.
Call (202) 667-0441, ext. 64.

25
Public Gallery Talk & Tour:
“Timbuktu to Tibet: Rugs and Textiles of the Hajji Babas”
Sumru Belger Krody, Associate Curator,
Eastern Hemisphere Collections
Saturday, 11:00 am
FREE; no reservations required. Limited to 35.

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November

1
Rug & Textile Appreciation Morning:
“From Turkey to Turkestan Virtually: Rugs and Textiles from the first Decade of Ebay”
Robert Emery
Saturday, 10:30 am*

The audience is invited to bring clean, well-vacuumed examples related to the title of the program. Seating is limited, so please arrive early. FREE; no reservations required.

1
Family First Saturday: “Dancing Along the Silk Road”
Saturday, 2–4 pm

Discover the delights of traditional Central Asian dance through a demonstration by the Silk Road Dance Company. Explore the exhibition Timbuktu to Tibet: Rugs and Textiles of the Hajji Babas and create your own Central Asian-inspired textile. FREE; no reservations required.

6
Evenings at The TM: “Daily Splendors: An Exploration of the Culinary and Decorative Arts of Africa and Asia”
Amy Riolo, Culinary Historian
Thursday, 6:30 pm

Join Amy Riolo, an internationally recognized culinary expert specializing in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean culture and cuisine, for a lecture, demonstration and book signing. Learn how skilled cooks, weavers, traders and collectors revolutionized both the world of cuisine and rug collecting on two continents. Enjoy a selection of delicious food prepared from recipes in Amy’s book Arabian Delights; Recipes & Princely Entertaining Ideas from the Arabian Peninsula at a reception immediately following the talk.

Advance registration is required; seating is limited. Register for the series to receive a discount! Fee for the series: $80/members; $105/non-members. Fee per lecture: $15/members; $20/non-members. Call (202) 667-0441, ext. 64 or click here for a registration form.

Evenings at The TM is funded by Eleanor T. and Samuel J. Rosenfeld.

6-9
Museum Shop Around at Strathmore Hall, Rockville, MD
Thursday, Nov. 6 – Sunday, Nov. 9
Visit The TM’s booth at this great holiday shopping event.
For details, visit www.strathmore.org.

8
Teacher Workshop: “Timbuktu to Tibet: Textiles for Teachers”
Saturday, 10:30 am

Textiles are meaningful in the lives of all people. Learn how artists and artisans express their diverse traditions, lifestyles, fashions and technologies through the textiles they create. Participants can explore works from Africa, Iran, Turkey, India and Central Asia. Materials for hands-on classroom activities will be provided and light refreshments will be served. Fee: $5. Advance registration required. Call (202) 667–0441, ext. 64 or click here for a registration form.

11
Veterans’ Day: Museum Closed

13
Shop Event: “Trunk Show with Dominique Bello”
Thursday, 3–7 pm

Meet Dominique Bello and enjoy an informal discussion on what has inspired her collection of hand-painted scarves, shawls and jackets made exclusively for The TM. For more details and to see her designs, visit the Shop's Web site.

19
Volunteer Open House
Wednesday, 6:00 pm

Drop in to learn more about volunteering opportunities in the Museum’s Education and Membership Departments. New Education volunteers will begin training in January 2009. For an application and additional information visit click here, stop by the Museum’s reception desk, or call (202) 667-0441, ext. 10.
Also held Sunday, Nov. 23 at 3 pm.

21-23
Shop Event: “Double Discount Days for TM Members”
Friday, Nov. 21–Sunday, Nov. 23
Members receive 20% off all regularly priced merchandise in the Shop and Shop Online during this weekend promotion. Start your holiday shopping early!

23
Volunteer Open House
Sunday, 3:00 pm

Drop in to learn more about volunteering opportunities in the Museum’s Education and Membership Departments. New Education volunteers will begin training in January 2009. For an application and additional information visit click here, stop by the Museum’s reception desk, or call (202) 667-0441, ext. 10.

27
Thanksgiving Day: Museum Closed

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December

3
Ask-a-Curator, Ask-a-Conservator
Wednesday, 10:30 am – 1 pm*
Fee: free/members; $5/non-members
Learn more about your own textiles from TM curatorial and conservation staff. While TM curators specialize in the textile arts of eastern hemisphere cultures, the conservation staff can answer questions about caring for textiles produced worldwide.

3
Evenings at The TM: “Great Rugs of the Hajji Babas”
Daniel Walker, Director
Wednesday, 6:30 pm
Please note the new date

Join Textile Museum Director Daniel Walker for an exploration of some of the excellent rugs in Hajji Baba Club members’ collections and the qualities that have made collectors covet them.

Advance registration is required; seating is limited. Register for the series to receive a discount! Fee for the series: $80/members; $105/non-members. Fee per lecture: $15/members; $20/non-members. Call (202) 667-0441, ext. 64 or click here for a registration form.

Evenings at The TM is funded by Eleanor T. and Samuel J. Rosenfeld

6
Family First Saturday: “ABC, Arabic Alphabet”
Saturday, 2–4 pm

Did you know that textiles tell stories? They are often told through images, but sometimes the maker uses writing to convey a message. Explore the current exhibition and find stories written in Arabic. Intern Elspeth Kursh shows families how to make a textile holiday card and sign their names in Arabic! FREE; no reservations required.

11
Shop Event: "Tibetan Textiles and Handmade Crafts Trunk Show
Thursday, 3–7 pm

Enjoy shopping from an authentic collection of merchandise from Tibet made by artisans from the Tibetan Artisan Initiative and The Dropenling Handicraft Development Center. Dropenling, which means “to give back for the betterment of all mankind,” returns all profits to the Tibetan artisan community in the form of educational funds, healthcare funds and micro-loans. Refreshments will be served. Free; no reservations required

13
Rug & Textile Appreciation Morning:
“An Ethno-Linguistic Examination of Caucasian Rugs”
Barry O'Connell
Saturday, 10:30 am*

The audience is invited to bring clean, well-vacuumed examples related to the title of the program. Seating is limited, so please arrive early. FREE; no reservations required.

13
Film: "Gabbeh"
Saturday, 2:30 pm

An epic tale of forbidden passion and a romantic ode to beauty, nature, love and the textile arts, Gabbeh’s title refers to a folkloric carpet that depicts a man and women riding away on horseback. The prized possession of an elderly nomadic couple, the carpet reveals its secret upon washing, when a serenely beautiful young woman emerges from the textile. She tells how, as a member of a nomadic desert tribe, she fell in love with the dashing, black-clad horseman pictured within the carpet. Month after month, season after season, he followed her family, howling love songs to her and longing for her to run away with him. Directed by Mohsen Makhmalbaf. In Farsi with English subtitles.

Sumru Belger Krody, Associate Curator of Eastern Hemisphere Collections, will introduce the film. FREE; reservations required. Call (202) 667-0441, ext. 64. or click here for a registration form.

24
Christmas Eve: Museum Closed

25
Christmas Day: Museum Closed

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For programs that require registration, please mail or fax a registration form with payment to The Textile Museum, 2320 S Street NW, Washington DC 20008, attn: Education; fax: (202) 483-0994. The registration form is available in Adobe Acrobat Portable Document Format (.pdf). You will need the Acrobat Reader program or Netscape plug-in in order to view and print this form. The Acrobat Reader is available free on Adobe's Web site.