Rug and Textile Appreciation Morning: Stories of Syria’s Textiles

Inspired by Katonah Museum of Art’s 2023 exhibition and catalog Stories of Syria’s Textiles: Art and Heritage Across Two Millennia, this talk highlights textiles’ outstanding contributions to Syrian culture across two millennia: during antiquity, between the mid-19th and mid-20th centuries, and today. 

Syrian textiles are remarkable for their artistic, social and economic significance. They are valuable luxury goods and important markers of status and identity that reflect the local traditions of cities, villages and nomadic groups. 

Since 2011, Syria has been embroiled in conflict that has resulted in the deaths of over 600,000 people and the displacement of several million people. Numerous archaeological sites, historic monuments and museums have also been damaged or destroyed. Longstanding textile traditions and knowledge are at risk of disappearing. Many Syrians are now working to preserve their tangible and intangible heritage for current and future generations, despite these incredibly difficult conditions.  

In this program, Deniz Beyazit and Blair Fowlkes Childs will discuss their research and the curatorial process for the exhibition. 

About Deniz Beyazit  

Deniz Beyazit is a curator in the Department of Islamic Art at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. She has curated many exhibitions and has widely published, lectured and taught courses on various aspects of Islamic Art and architecture. Dr. Beyazit was consulting curator for the exhibition Stories of Syria’s Textiles: Art and Heritage Across Two Millennia  at the Katonah Museum of Art. 

About Blair Fowlkes Childs  

Blair Fowlkes Childs is a specialist in Roman art and archaeology. She guest-curated Stories of Syria's Textiles: Art and Heritage Across Two Millennia (2022, Katonah Museum of Art) and co-curated The World between Empires: Art and Identity in the Ancient Middle East (2019, The Metropolitan Museum of Art.) Dr. Childs has taught at the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University, Hunter College (CUNY) and Sarah Lawrence College.  

How to Participate 

This program will take place on Zoom. To participate, please register online, and we will email you a link and instructions for joining. Simply follow that link at the time the event starts (11 a.m. EST / 8 a.m. PST). When you register, you can also request to receive a reminder email one day before the program with the link included.  

About Rug and Textile Appreciation Mornings

Collectors and experts discuss textile topics and display examples from their personal holdings. This series is named in honor of late Textile Museum trustee emeritus, Harold M. Keshishian. Browse upcoming programs