The 20th conference of the European Textile Network ETN
The European Textile Network (ETN) is a non-profit organisation, bringing together cultural producers (artists, designers, craft people, authors etc.), carriers of cultural heritage and education (museums, archives, libraries, universities etc.), lecturers, researchers, and textile enthusiasts to promote the exchange of information and experiences, to encourage the cooperation in projects and to arrange meetings. Textile conferences are held at regular intervals in constantly changing interesting cities - after a break due to corona, the next one is just around the corner.
The 20th ETN conference will take place from March 02 until 04, 2023 in Łódź, Poland and will have the motto „CODES - stories in textiles“. A wide range of lectures will illuminate countless stories that are hidden in textiles and reflect the character of different cultures. Contributions from the field of modern textile art, textile handicrafts as well as lectures that shed light on historical or ethnographic aspects can be expected. The conference logo shows the so-called Khipus – knotted cords from the Inca culture in South America. These Khipus were used in times before the Spanish influence to archive various information using knots. During the conference we will hear an exciting talk by researcher Manuel Medrano on this topic. You can find information about all the speakers and exciting lecture topics at https://etn-net.org/lectures-speakers.html
The conference venue Łódź is a traditional textile town in Poland, well known to many people interested in textiles. There is a large textile museum, the "Central Museum of Textiles in Łódź", which is also home to the well-known International Triennial of Tapestry, as well as the famous Strzemiński Academy of Art Łódź. Of course, guided tours through the Triennale and to interesting hotspots in the town are also part of the conference programme. In the next few days you will be able to read more about this special textile city in this blog.
The conference will be held as a hybrid event. This means that an on-site attendance will be possible, but participants and speakers may also take part online via Zoom.
More information about the ETN-conference, March 2 – 4, 2023, on site and online: https://etn-net.org/etn-conference-2023.html
By Christina Leitner
1 comment
I am a 91 year old widow in San Bernardino, California. I learned to sew in Jr. High Sewing Class in San Pedro, CA. I learned to knit argyle socks at High School age, at a Knit Shop in San Pedro. My husband and I graduated from Occidental College in Los Angeles. I taught high school Biology for 7 or 8 years. My husband and I then adopted two sons. For many years I took part in a hand-quilting(one day a week) church quilting group.
Our two sons grew up, and attended Occidental College. For many years, I also took part in the
Occidental College Women’s Club, which welcomed mothers of Oxy students. This Club began in the 1930s. We carried on a yearly project of making a quilt. We sold chances on winning the Drawing for the quilt. That raised money to benefit the offering of scholarships for Occidental Students. We also raised money by putting on CampusSale of handmade items (i.e. dolls, small quilts, knitted and crocheted baby blankets & more), on Sat. of Football Homecoming Weekend. Various factors incl. Coronavirus brought these activities to an end. Also, the advanced ages of the active members and the end of football program happened. Originally, our Womens’Club flourished when most women did not work outside the home. The substantial monies we raised for scholarships continue to benefit students at Occidental College.
Allen & I visited Washington DC each year. I found The Textile Museum in Washington D.C. We even
took a Textile Museum Trip to Northern India. Following that, we had a similar trip to Turkey, taking us
clear across to Eastern border. We also took a trip to Russia which introduced me to lovely embroidered blouses and other traditional handwork. In my elder years, I volunteered to help children make sewing
projects like stuffed animals at the YMCA Afterschool Program (for children of working mothers). One of
our sons spent a year after high school in the American Field Service Americans Abroad program in the
country of Jordan. We have had across the world visits with AFS brother’s family. AFS brother now lives
in Germany (home country of his mother), where he went to college, and has his career and home&family.