The fifth biennial Textile History Forum will be held Columbus Day Weekend (October 6-8, 2006) at Winterthur Museum in Winterthur, Delaware. At this lively gathering, textile enthusiasts from all over the country will hear juried papers, share works in progress, take behind-the-scenes tours of Winterthur, participate in small group workshops, and enjoy a banquet and auction of antique textiles, textile tools, and textile-related items.
Call for Papers: The Forum seeks papers on all aspects of textile history from the pre-Columbian period through the twenty-first century, including textile technology, costume, quilts, weaving, dyeing, spinning, technological innovations, textile availability, and so on. Current and unpublished research is especially encouraged. Those interested in presenting a paper at the Forum should submit a one-page proposal by March 30, 2006.
Proposals chosen for presentation will be announced by April 15, 2006. Final papers should be no more than 16 pages long, including citations, bibliography, and illustrations. Final papers are due by August 15, and will be published in the Proceedings of the Textile History Forum. Authors will retain copyright. Copies of the proceedings will be available to all registrants who attend the Forum.
In addition to formal paper presentations, the Textile History Forum will include a Works-in-Progress session to allow those currently involved in research but not yet ready to present a formal paper to share information on their work. Those interested in participating in the Works-in-Progress session should submit a brief description of their project for consideration.
The Textile History Forum brings together textile historians, students, researchers, museum curators, independent scholars, and textile enthusiasts from around the country for two days of intense exchange. Participants will have the opportunity to take small behind-the-scenes tours at Winterthur, take hands-on workshops, bid on textile-related items at our Forum auction, and enjoy the wonderful resources of the Winterthur museum complex.
The Textile History Forum has been meeting and publishing important research on textiles since 1999. Highlights of previous meetings include discussion and reproduction of pre-Columbian woven shoes; a tour through handwear of the 18th century; identifying Ohio coverlet weavers; researching fabrics used in African American Quilts; examinations of tailors' account books; investigation of design house fabrics; and studies of silk woven for cartridge bags in WWI.
Send proposals and inquiries to Rabbit Goody, The Textile History Forum, 101 Chestnut Ridge Road, Cherry Valley, NY 13320. 518-284-2729 phone/fax. Email: rgoody@mybizz.net On the web at www.textilehistoryforum.com or www.thistlehillweavers.com.
