International Textile Marketplace dazzles shoppers

11 Jun '08

4 min read

Handwoven silks from Laos….original Shibori designs…Taisho and Showa period kimonos and obis from Japanese collector Yoku Tanaka…vintage Japanese textiles and garments…scarves and shawls from India and Thailand…Guatemalan textiles…antique ethnic textiles and costumes from the Marion Hamilton Gallery…wearable art from Santa Fe Weaving Gallery…fiber handbags… Hawaiian ribbon and yarn lei…hand-dyed textiles…Chunghie Lee's limited editions…handwoven silks and brocades with Renaissance techniques…rare and hard-to-find textile art books...all this and much more to discover and to give you a head start on your holiday gift buying this fall.

The extraordinary and unusual International Textile Marketplace will be in Honolulu September 25 and 26, 2008 for the first time ever. Located in the Lanai Ballroom at the Sheraton Waikiki hotel, the Marketplace will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day. Admission is free and the public is invited.

The International Textile Marketplace is an event of the Textile Society of America's Biennial Textile Symposium, hosted by the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel September 24-27, 2008. The Symposium attracts textile curators, artists, students, scholars, collectors, and textile enthusiasts from around the world. Record attendance is expected at this year's event, themed Textiles as Cultural Expressions.

According to Marketplace Chairperson Linda-Mei Jaress, “We had such a tremendous response from vendors, many specializing in the textile arts of Asia and the Pacific, and we sold out of all available spaces last February.

When finished shopping at the marketplace, wander over to the Outrigger Waikiki Hotel (2335 Kalakaua Avenue) to see the exhibition, Pacific Island Textiles as Status, Wealth, Genealogy, Supernatural Protection.

Several photographs will also be included featuring images of a Tongan woman painting ngatu; a Fijian wedding couple in masi; tapa worn by dancing men of Papau New Guinea; and tapa from Pitcairn. The exhibition is presented as a community service and is free of charge.

The 11th Textile Society of America (TSA) Biennial Symposium will be held September 24 through 27, 2008 at the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel. The major international textile arts event is being coordinated by Tom Klobe, Director Emeritus of the University of Hawaii Art Gallery; and Reiko Brandon, renowned fiber artist and former Curator of Textiles at the Honolulu Academy of Arts, with support from the Textile Society of America Board of Directors. The conference is open to the public with prior registration. You need not be a member of TSA to attend the Symposium.

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