Fall Arts 2008 / What expresses culture? What is the zeitgeist for our time, of eras passed and of multigenerational history rolled into one? The fabric of our lives–yes, including cotton–is textiles. While a glazed look may take over one’s face upon hearing the hard-sounding word, perhaps bringing to mind musty quilts, slightly more knowledge of the expansive field reveals a deep and universal value of the entity. Textiles are your mother and grandmother, your royal blood, your everyday life and the reason why hundreds are flocking to Honolulu from all over the world.

September 24 to 27 brings the Textile Society of America’s 11th Biennial Symposium to the island, coordinated by Tom Klobe, Director Emeritus of the University of Hawai’i Art Gallery, and Reiko Brandon, renowned fiber artist and former curator of textiles at the Honolulu Academy of Arts. The symposium will draw an international crowd of textile curators, artists, dealers, students and experts to the island. The four-day event, on the theme “cultural expressions,” includes a multitude of workshops and presentations of juried papers for attendees, ranging from the role of dyeing in women’s culture to the negotiation of textiles to dressing for the hula. There will also be tours of the various museums displaying a multitude of textiles in conjunction with the symposium. With over 20 citywide exhibitions open to the public, the joint effort between venues makes the exhibit the largest in the city’s history. See Japanese immigrant plantation workers’ clothing at the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai’i, a royal feathered cloak at the Bishop Museum, southwestern Chinese minority costumes at University of Hawai’i Art Gallery and so much more.

If seeing or hearing about textiles isn’t enough, touch all you want at the marketplace and book fair. Browse among hard-to-find collectibles, conservation products, wearable art and garments. If you’ve spent all your money at the marketplace but are still hankering for a growing textile fix, keep an eye out for the Smithsonian’s Free Museum Day. On September 27, hundreds of museums and galleries nation-wide will offer free admission to the public. Many of the museums exhibiting textiles related to the symposium will be participating. Download the museum card at [smithsonianmag.com].

The Textile Society’s symposium is just part of Hawai’i’s modern day coming out. With the resurgence of aloha wear on the international fashion scene (such as the men’s aloha print shorts and shirts at the Swedish clothing chain, H&M), the large representation of Hawai’i-affiliated athletes in the Beijing Summer Olympics and the spotlight on the homegrown Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, the textile extravaganza is Hawai’i’s chance to showcase other aspects of its rich history, right alongside an international array of stunning materials.

Textile Society of America
11th Biennial Symposium, Sheraton Waikiki Hotel, 2255 Kalakaua Ave.,
Wed 9/24–Sat 9/27, $10–$500, [textilesociety.org], (302) 378-9636
Museum exhibit information at [textilesociety.org].

International Textile Marketplace, Sheraton Waikiki Hotel, Thu 9/25–Fri 9/26, 10am–6pm, [email: ljaress].

Book Fair, Sheraton Waikiki Hotel, Sat 9/27, 10am–2pm, [email: harger], [email: ljaress].