Producing carpets in India – Goodweave feature
Goodweave’s Spring 2011 newsletter features a “Spotlight on India”, highlighting the efforts to fight illegal child labor in that country. All of our stock collections (and most of our carpets, period) are produced in India – by adult artisans, of course. Read the newsletter online here.
Autumn and the Arts & Crafts Movement
Maybe it’s the affinity for fall colors, but September and October are usually prime months for Arts & Crafts movement events, and this year is no exception. Useful and Beautiful: The Transatlantic Arts of William Morris & the Pre-Raphaelites ~ Conference & multiple exhibitions ~ Oct. 7-9 in Delaware 19th annual Craftsman Weekend, Pasadena Heritage, probably the second-largest annual Arts & Crafts event (after the Grove Park Inn conference) ~ Oct. 15-17 in Pasadena, CA A Gala at Craftsman Farms, celebrating the 100th anniversary of Gustav Stickley’s iconic Log House ~ Oct. 15-16 in New Jersey Chicago Cultural Center exhibit: Louis Sullivan’s Idea ~ through December Gustav Stickley & American Arts…
$10M antique Persian carpet sets new record at auction
A 17th-century carpet previously in the renowned collection of Martine Marie Pol, Comtesse de Béhague, set a new world record at auction last month. The de Behague carpet, made in the Kirman region of south Persia, was hammered down at Christie’s for £6.2m (about $10m USD), almost doubled the previous record set by the Pearl Carpet of Baroda at Sotheby’s last year. Journalist Charles Recknagel did a much better job with the backstory that I could, so I’ll refer you to his post on the Tea and Carpets blog. [E]ven as Christie’s evaluators widely publicized the carpet’s pedigree before the auction, they badly underestimated what price the carpet might command.…
Arts and Crafts Movement reinterpreted
At New York Fashion Week in February, designer Anna Sui’s show paid a stunning and creative tribute to the Arts and Crafts Movement. I was intrigued to see the values and aesthetics of the movement re-interpreted in a completely different genre. I had planned to write about this when it was hot off the press, but my blog posts, like my fashion choices, seem to be just a little bit behind the times. This slideshow from the New York Times provides a visual overview of the collection. Style.com’s review of the show sets the tone: One of the many joys of an Anna Sui collection is the intro it gives…
2010 Arts & Crafts Conference
This weekend was the 23rd annual Arts & Crafts Conference at the Grove Park Inn in Asheville, NC. This is the Main Event for devotees of the Arts & Crafts Movement – antiques, reproductions, artisans, educational workshops, you name it. An eclectic bunch of people are drawn in every year by their common love of the works and philosophy of Arts & Crafts. This was the first year out of the past five that we haven’t displayed at the conference. I wish we’d been able to attend –we missed seeing our old friends, and making new ones. The conference is always fascinating and stimulating, and the venue is gorgeous. I’ve…