The Textile Museum’s “Rug and Textile Appreciation Morning” series continues on Saturday, 25 July, 2026, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. EDT, with a virtual session titled “Turkmen: Tribal Carpets and Traditions.”
The session looks back at a milestone in the museum’s history: the 1980 exhibition of the same title, which brought together close to 100 outstanding weavings, a large share drawn from the museum’s own holdings. The pieces on display spanned work attributed to the Salor, Saryk, Tekke, Chodor, Arabatchi, Yomud and Ersari Turkmen groups, alongside weavings from the Emirate of Bukhara. Jon Thompson led the accompanying catalog, with additional input from Louise Mackie and other specialists.
Speaker Louise Shelley will recount what it was like to encounter these Turkmen carpets firsthand at the 1980 show, drawing also on impressions from her travels through the U.S.S.R. during the 1970s.
Richard Isaacson will take stock of the exhibition’s legacy and the scholarship that has followed since, among other things how certain weaving groups have since been reattributed to different tribes, and what photographic archives have added to the picture. He will also look ahead to what science may still contribute to the field, from carbon dating and dye/mordant analysis to statistical knot-count sampling.
Participation is free and takes place online; advance registration is required to receive the Zoom link and joining details.
More information:
Rug and Textile Appreciation Morning: Turkmen: Tribal Carpets and Traditions, The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum