Curator of Exhibitions
Yesterday, while all of us are in town for the IQSCM biennial symposium, the research team met to discuss our upcoming trip. We reviewed our research agenda, talking about the sites we would be visiting and the types of patchwork objects we expect to find. We also discussed practical issues, such as what to pack, what gifts to bring, and how to exchange business cards (a big deal in Asia!).
Although our free time will be limited, cultural tourism opportunities abound in Xi'an. In addition to the famous Terra Cotta Warriors, Xi'an is home to the Ban Po neolithic settlement and the most complete city wall that survives in China. If you haven't been to Xi'an before, here's the "Official Xi'an City Trailer," a slick YouTube video about this ancient city. Any suggestions for what we should go see?
We also discussed a few excellent resources on Chinese folk art and symbolism. Nancy Berliner's "Chinese Folk Art" and Patricia Bjaaland Welch's "Chinese Art" are books we'll be referring to regularly both during and after our trip.
Marin Hanson is the Curator of Exhibitions at the International Quilt Study Center & Museum at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She holds undergraduate degrees from Grinnell College and Northern Illinois University and earned her MA in museum studies and textile history with a quilt studies emphasis from UNL. She is currently pursuing doctoral research on cross-cultural quiltmaking practices, with particular emphasis on China and the United States.
If you have time to write, I would love to hear more about the anticipation you all must be feeling now that your trip is only days away.
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