As part of the exhibition in October, the Gallery will host Domitila Curuchich, a master weaver from Guatemala who will demonstrate ancestral weaving techniques, and will produce a garment on site with traditional designs still used in modern fashion design.  Ms. Curuchich has devoted herself to the preservation of antique weaving designs and has participated in several Guatemalan study abroad programs such as the one sponsored by VCU in 2006.

Prior to the opening reception on Friday, September 28th, keynote speaker, Ann Pollard Rowe will provide a lecture at the Grace Street Theater at 4pm.  Grace Street Theater is located at 934 West Grace Street in Richmond.  Entitled “Weaving Lives and Destinies: Women’s Costumes from Chimaltenango, Guatemala, ” this presentation traces the changes in indigenous women’s costumes, primarily the traditional huipil, over the last century. Ms. Rowe is the Curator of Western Hemisphere Collections at The Textile Museum in Washington, DC.  Both the lecture and opening reception are free and open to the public.

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