Hmong Exhibition Curator to Discuss ‘Cloth as Language’ at Friends of Textile Lecture Oct. 17
Geraldine Craig to Present Illustrated,
Interactive Lecture in the Hartley Room
MELBOURNE, FLA. — Florida Institute of Technology’s Ruth Funk Center for Textile Arts will host Geraldine Craig, professor of art and associate dean of the graduate school at Kansas State University and curator of the center’s current exhibition of Hmong flower and story cloths, for its latest Friends of Textiles Lecture Series.
The lecture, “Hmong Paj Ntaub: Cloth as Language,” begins at 6 p.m. in the Denius Student Center’s second-floor Hartley Room. It will be be preceded by a reception at 5:15 p.m.
The lecture is presented in conjunction with the Center’s current exhibit, Cloth as Community: Hmong Textiles in America, which will be on view until Dec. 16. Exclusively for Craig’s lecture on Oct. 17, the Center will extend its hours one hour and remain open until 5 p.m.
Craig will present an illustrated and interactive lecture on the Hmong culture’s paj ntaub, or flower cloth – one of the world’s greatest textile traditions that was not widely known outside of Asia until after the Vietnam War. Hmong immigration introduced new materials and visual influences to the already complex and rich tradition.
Craig will also discuss the unique history of flower cloths as cultural history, their transition into contemporary textile works and the impact of transnational practices. Examples of antique Hmong needle work from Craig’s personal collection will be used for display.
Craig is an artist and writer whose research focuses on the relationships between textile history, criticism, curatorial work and studio practice. She has exhibited her work throughout the United States, Europe and Mexico. She has published over 100 articles and reviews of contemporary art in venues such as Art in America and The Journal of Modern Craft, and contributed to the 2016 book Claiming Place: On the Agency of Hmong Women.
Cost to attend the lecture is $10 per person for the general public. There is no cost for Friends of Textiles members or Florida Tech students or staff with campus I.D. For more information, visit http://textiles.fit.edu/ or contact the Ruth Funk Center for Textile Arts at 321-674-8313.
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