Toronto – The Textile Museum of Canada (TMC) is pleased to announce the upcoming presentation by internationally acclaimed curator, scholar and author Daniel Walker, former Director of the Textile Museum in Washington, DC and currently head of two curatorial departments of the Art Institute of Chicago as the Pritzker Chair and Curator of Asian Art and the Chair and Christa C. Mayer Thurman Curator of Textiles. The lecture and reception will take place on Thursday, October 9, 2014, 6:30 pm, Textile Museum of Canada, 55 Centre Avenue (at Dundas & University), Toronto. Admission is $45 per person (TMC Patrons and Members $35). Advance ticket purchase is encouraged as tickets are limited. To purchase, visit www.danielwalkertmc.eventbrite.com or call 416-599-5321 x2246 for more information.
In his presentation, Walker will address the changing symbolism and iconography of Oriental rug traditions. A distinguished scholar, writer, and curator of textiles as well as Islamic art, Walker has held previous positions at The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Textile Museum in Washington, DC. With the Art Institute’s opening of the Alsdorf Galleries devoted to Indian, Southeast Asian, and Islamic art as well as the renovated galleries for textiles and the Weston Wing for Japanese art in the last several years, Walker has played a significant role in the institution’s expansion and representation of the historical and contemporary cultural production of Asia.
“Oriental rug traditions lie at the heart of the origins of the Textile Museum of Canada which was founded in 1975 as the Canadian Museum of Carpets and Textiles,” said Shauna McCabe, Executive Director of the Textile Museum of Canada, “Daniel Walker will offer a unique perspective into the evolution of their symbolic and iconographic dimensions. We are thrilled to present this important curator and thinker to Canadians who have a passion for these rich cultural histories and traditions.”
The Textile Museum of Canada has a 40-year history of exploring ideas and building cultural understanding. This national museum is one of Canada’s most engaging arts institutions welcoming tens of thousands of visitors from around the world each year. Open seven days a week, the TMC is a non-profit institution engaged in the exhibition, collection, conservation, and research of the materials of everyday life, archaeological to contemporary. A leader in the digitization of collections and interactive environments, the TMC is as “high tech” as “high touch” – recognized for its innovation in the development of landmark educational, research and creative initiatives.
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Media inquiries: Please contact TMC Communications & Marketing Coordinator Alexandra Lopes at 416-599-5321 x2239 or [email protected]