12:00-1:00
Free, drop-in
This talk explores the significance of South Asian textiles in American collections by tracing the presence of phulkaris as they move in and out of a variety of local and national contexts. Phulkari, which translate from several South Asian languages as “flower work” or “floral work,” is a style of embroidery historically made by women throughout the Punjab regions of present-day India and Pakistan. Looking closely at the circulation of phulkaris through American collections raises questions about the role of individuals and institutions in framing understanding of textiles and national identity, and provides insight into the ways in which the collection and display of these objects can affect - and ultimately enrich - definitions of what it means to be “American.”
Speaker: Cristin McKnight Sethi, Assistant Professor of Art History and Director of Graduate Studies in Art History, The George Washington University
12:00-1:00
Free, drop-in
This talk explores the significance of South Asian textiles in American collections by tracing the presence of phulkaris as they move in and out of a variety of local and national contexts. Phulkari, which translate from several South Asian languages as “flower work” or “floral work,” is a style of embroidery historically made by women throughout the Punjab regions of present-day India and Pakistan. Looking closely at the circulation of phulkaris through American collections raises questions about the role of individuals and institutions in framing understanding of textiles and national identity, and provides insight into the ways in which the collection and display of these objects can affect - and ultimately enrich - definitions of what it means to be “American.”
Speaker: Cristin McKnight Sethi, Assistant Professor of Art History and Director of Graduate Studies in Art History, The George Washington University
