As a curator at Te Papa, I am also on the committee of the Costume & Textile Association of NZ – a membership organisation that includes museum and fashion professionals, craftspeople, writers, and others who share a stronger than average interest in all aspects of clothing and dress!
With my CTANZ hat on, I am thrilled to be able to announce the dates, venue and theme of the 2011 symposium – this year the symposium will be held at the Tauranga Art Gallery on Friday 17th and Saturday 18th June 2011.
We are currently calling for abstracts. As we mark our 10th anniversary, the theme of this year’s symposium is ‘Celebration’.
Here’s the brief:
This time it’s simple: In the words of 1980s funksters Kool and the Gang, whose 1984 hit ‘Celebration’ took them to No 1 on the pop charts:
“Everyone around the world, come on. Celebrate good times.”
When we celebrate, we stop and take time out of our normal routine in order to mark or commemorate a special occasion. After ten years of activity the NZ Costume and Textile Association is taking a moment to do exactly that and the 2011 conference invites papers on the theme of ‘Celebration.’
Those wishing to present might consider: the centrality of both textiles and costume to the notion of celebration at almost every time period, geographical point and in almost every culture on the globe. We might also consider that to celebrate can simply mean to hold something, an object or person, up to acclaim. The cynical might explore that in order for others to celebrate the makers of textiles and costume are often placed under considerable pressure.
This one is a gloom buster – keep it simple and celebrate!
Abstracts are due on the 11th February 2011. Word documents are preferred and please ensure that the document, not just the email) includes your name, paper title and contact email address. Successful applicants will be notified by 18th February 2011.
Visit the symposium page of our website www.costumeandtextile.co.nz for details on how to submit your abstract.
For more information about the CTANZ and the symposium visit our blog http://ctanz.wordpress.com/ Registrations will open in March. You can be assured of a great weekend – one that is both stimulating and fun.
Claire Regnault
Senior Curator History
Hi Jenny
The V&A Quilt show was indeed a fabulous project. Alas it was too small (can you believe) for our touring space. We are, however, taking another wonderful V&A project – keep an eye out on our blog for further annoucements.
Te Papa does indeed have a collection of quilts and gorgeous textiles from Europe and the Pacific – you’ll find some on Te Papa’s Collections Online – just visit the website. We don’t have a quilt show scheduled at the moment, but the History team does its best to get out as many costumes and textiles that it can in any one year.
Many thanks, Claire
I understand the fantastic Q&A quilt exhibition will be touring world wide. Has Te Papa possibly put in a bid to host this exhibition? Quilting is extremely strong in New Zealand.
Also, does Te Papa hold any antique quilts or textiles, and if so, will these be exhibited sometime?