The year following September 11 has seen an increased interest in Middle Eastern culture and religion. Schools are assigning passages from the Koran as summer reading and students are lining up for courses on Islam. Plymouth State College is doing its part to educate the community with Understanding Our Global Mosaic: Tools for Living in the 21 Century, a yearlong program on Middle Eastern culture. As part of this program of art showings, musical performances, and lectures, the Silver Cultural Arts Center is displaying “Art from the Tents”. This is an exhibit of hand woven textiles used by nomadic and rural people in the Middle East that date as far back as the 1880’s. The pieces are presented by the Sunbow Trading Company, which collects and preserves them for gallery showings. The exhibit shows the uniquely beautiful art of a rapidly dying culture.
It consists of huge tent draperies, saddle bags, rugs, animal coverings, and various other pieces hung from the walls of Silver Cultural Arts Center’s lobby. All of them are hand woven from wool thread, natural dyes, and decorative additions including shells and beads. They are all done in a multitude of colors, woven with various intricate and repetitive patterns including crosses, flowers, and other visually striking designs. The most beautiful of these pieces includes a Baluch Tent Trapping/Hanging, fashioned from multi-colored squares embroidered with scattered small mirrors and fringed with cowry shells. The Uzbek Embroidered Horse Cover is a white sheet covered by colored squares sewn together almost in the shape of a person. The middle of this piece is fringed by locks of human hair, showing the connection these people have to their work.
In addition to the large woven pieces, there are also two cases filled with hand crafted jewelry, including silver bracelets with filigree patterns carved in them and a breastplate made of silver and gold adorned with agate. One of the most eye-catching pieces is a Women’s Dowry Headdress made of rows of coins. There are also men’s prayer hats, including a multi-colored hat from Afghanistan with images of helicopters called a “War Hat”. The display cases also contain hand made weaving tools such as bobbins and thread combs, all hand carved with intricate patterns.
Various plaques around the pieces, written by Saul Barodofsky of the Sunbow Trading Company, tell the stories of the people and the culture that produced these items for everyday use. Within these complex weavings are the art of a culture that is being destroyed by the closing of borders and routes for nomadic travel. This exhibit is a look into a forgotten culture of simplicity and ceremony that is commonly ignored amidst the din of Western culture. This exhibit is the perfect way to experience the beautiful art of a culture different from what the average PSC student might experience in their everyday lives. It is a shame that it took a war for us to see this rich and dying tradition.