Florida Tech Event Explores ‘Uncommon Threads’

– Florida Institute of Technology will weave together two cultural arts experiences in “Uncommon Threads: Connoisseurship and Antique Textiles.” An evening
lecture is on Feb. 16; a luncheon symposium on historic costumes and textiles takes place Feb. 17.

Titi Halle, commentator on PBS’ Antiques Roadshow and director of the Cora Ginsburg LLC gallery, will give a presentation on historic costumes and rare
textiles during Florida Tech’s “Uncommon Threads: Connoisseurship and Antique Textiles” event.

The Feb. 16 lecture, “Cora Ginsburg: The Influence of a Pioneer Dealer in Historic Costumes and Textiles,” is free and open to the public at 7 p.m. at the
Evans Library Pavilion on campus. Titi Halle, commentator on PBS’ Antiques Roadshow and director of Cora Ginsburg LLC, will discuss the life of collector
and gallery founder Cora Ginsburg. The celebrated art collector made a profound impact on textile collections in American museums, such as The Colonial
Williamsburg Foundation.

The Feb. 17 luncheon will feature displays of antique and embroidered textiles, a presentation on their care and conservation, and appraisals by Halle of
rare textiles. Harpist Victoria Lynn Schultz will perform during the symposium’s opening reception while attendees view displays of antique textiles from
Florida Tech’s Ruth Funk Collection. Displays of antique European tapestries and rugs from local dealers and collectors will complement the décor. The
luncheon symposium, 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. in the Denius Student Center’s Hartley Room, costs $50. Proceeds will go to Florida Tech’s textile program. To
register, contact Cynthia Smith at (321) 674-8962 or Carla Funk at (321) 674-6129.

Halle is the second annual Ruth Funk Lecturer in Florida Tech’s Humanities Lecture Series. Perhaps most recognized for her work as an appraiser on Antiques
Roadshow, Halle has worked in the field of antique costume and textiles for more than 25 years. She is a former vice president of the National Antique and
Art Dealers Association of America, a member of the Centre International des Études des Textiles Anciens, the Costume Society of America, and the Textile
Society of America.

The “Uncommon Threads” special event is part of Florida Tech’s new “Textile Art and Industry” program. The program began in 2004 with help from Ruth Funk,
artist, lifelong art educator, and local patron of the arts. She donated her textile collection to the university along with a financial gift for planning
a textiles program. With the academic component of the textiles program in the early stages of development, the university is offering lectures and
exhibits to provide information to the community about the timeless appeal and cultural value of the textile arts.