Meeting Announcement:

Trappings of the Middle Amu Darya – A New Look at “Ersari/Beshir” Weaving

with

Erik Risman

at

Pioneer Hall

1642 43^rd Avenue East, Seattle

In the Madison Park neighborhood

Tuesday, February 7, 2006, 7:00 PM

Erik Risman is an avid collector of the Turkmen rugs and trappings that are often called “Ersari/Beshir” in the trade. For his talk, Erik Risman will address questions such as “What is Ersari?”, and “What is Beshir?”, and share his evolving insights into more accurate ways of categorizing these interesting weavings. The talk will be almost entirely based on examples from Erik’s own collection. We are fortunate to have him bring nearly 40 different pieces for us to see and compare. Tribal rug and textile attribution is often a controversial issue, and Erik Risman’s talk is sure to shed some additional light on this topic with regard to these popular and interesting Turkmen weavings.

Erik Risman has been a collector for the majority of his life. His interest in rugs and textiles began 12-15 years ago, and he developed his focus on the Amu Darya region eight years ago. Erik co-founded the Rug and Textile Society of Indiana and is a board member and Treasurer of the American Conference on Oriental Rugs. He is currently undertaking a research project to better document the diverse types of “Ersari/Beshir” weavings in order to develop a more accurate system of attribution.

Please note: if you have an “Ersari” rug or trapping, Erik requests that you please bring it to the meeting, as it may be helpful to his ongoing research. It will also be interesting to learn how each piece fits in to Erik’s proposed classification system.

Meeting Schedule:

7:00 Mix and mingle. Announcements.

7:30 Erik Risman: Trappings of the Middle Amu Darya

8:30 Show and tell – Ersari rugs and trappings will be the focus – but other interesting weavings, especially Turkmen, would be appropriate.

Please note: This meeting is free to members, $5 at the door for guests.

Meeting Location and Directions:

Pioneer Hall is the home of the Pioneer Association of the State of Washington. See the map below. Parking is available on nearby streets.

From I-5 or 405, take 520 toward the University of Washington. From the Eastside, exit at Lake Washington Blvd and turn left off the bridge and right into the Arboretum. From I-5, take the first exit from 520, Montlake Blvd..

Go straight through the light, following the main road until you take a right into the Arboretum.

Go through the Arboretum, turning left at the light, at Madison Street. Go about a mile, and turn right on E. Blaine Street. Go two blocks. Pioneer Hall is straight ahead.