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The Avenir Institute of Textile Arts and Fashion announces its first symposium inspired by the exhibition Rugged Beauty: Antique Carpets from Western Asia (December 18, 2022–May 28, 2023).

“From Workshop to Nomad: New Thinking about Rug Weaving Categories and Design Influences” will explore rugs and the various weaving cultures of West Asian carpets. Though prevailing ideas about these categories have been important and useful to the study of these textiles, the current models of producing rugs are often ambiguous and do not account for the complex cultures and economies of the people who create them. Usage of the word “tribal” as a rug-making category comes into question, as does the classification “village.” Speakers will address these issues through the lens of three main categories of weaving: tribal/nomadic, workshop, and village, including prayer rugs, and potentially suggest directions for future study.