San Francisco

PASSAGES:
Celebrating Rites of Passage in Inscribed Armenian Rugs
 

A Call For Rugs

A heartwarming exhibit, of Inscribed Armenian Rugs, is scheduled to make its appearance at the Herbst International Exhibition Hall in the Presidio of San Francisco from July 16 to August 18 of 2002. The exhibit, organized by The Armenian Rugs Society, promises to be a visually stunning journey into the weavings of about 100 inscribed rugs, each telling a story with their rich texture and colours, with their adorned mysterious symbols, inscriptions of names, dates and places. It will be a journey into the hearts and minds of weavers who wove these rugs as offerings to celebrate life and nature as their own lives unfolded in the villages, towns or cities they inhabited in the beautiful and harsh mountainous Caucasus for over 3000 years.

Many of these rugs were woven as dowries for weddings, bearing names of brides and grooms;others, in memory of a family member or members, once again, inscribed with names or initials,dates, places, and donated to churches or holy sites; still other, were woven as gifts to newborns, to family members and friends. Thus, conceived as offerings from the outset,the process of the weaving and making of these rugs served as a vehicle for the "passages" or the transitions they were undergoing during these particular circumstances, whether they be personal, familial or social. Viewed in this context, these hand woven treasures represent the personal and psychological world of the weavers,revealing to us their sacred world within their secular lives where colours, designs and symbols used in the making of these rugs reflected the creative inner fabric of the weavers themselves and their society.
 
All these aspects, including historical and technical perspectives will be presented by a panel of speakers, led by Dr. Murray Eiland,an expert of oriental rugs and the president of the S.F.Bay Area Rug Society, during a symposium which will take place on the weekend of July 19, 20 and 21, 2002.

We look forward to sharing and celebrating the beautiful rugs of "PASSAGES" with you and remembering the skillful "artist" weavers who created them.

-Levon Der Bedrossian  
Thank you on behalf of The Armenian Rugs Society,
 

For more information about submitting your inscribed Armenian rugs for the exhibit, or to become a member of The Armenian Rugs Society, please contact us at info@armenianrugssociety.com

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