L'Italo-Americano

www.italoamericano.org 10 THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2017 L'Italo-Americano SAN FRANCISCO ITALIAN COMMUNITY O n c e a g a i n , S a n F r a n c i s c o ' s I s t i t u t o I t a l i a n o d i C u l t u r a , Italian Cultural Institute, is host- ing an exhibition exemplifying and celebrating Italian culture with an exhibit of Sardinian tex- tiles comprised of contemporary and antique handwoven art. The o n - g o i n g e x h i b i t o p e n e d o n January 19 for the San Francisco Bay Area community and will continue thru to February 24. The exhibit features contem- porary weavings from the few remaining tessitori artigianali, S a r d i n i a ' s t r a d i t i o n a l h a n d weavers, as well as a selection of antique weavings from the S a r d i n i a n R e g i o n a l T e x t i l e Museum, MURATS. Sardinian textiles are virtually unknown outside the island and only a handful of artists still weave by hand using traditional methods. T h e J a n u a r y 1 9 o p e n i n g night reception featured a pre- sentation by visiting artists Isa Frongia and Anna Maria Pirastu. They are respected as the gold standard of Sardinian weavers working in the pibiones tradition typical of the Samugheo area of Sardinia. The exhibit includes textiles crafted in Samugheo as well as other areas of Sardinia boasting different textile tech- niques and patterns. T h i s e x h i b i t c a m e a b o u t when, several years ago, Kelly M a n j u l a K o z a r e t u r n e d t o Sardinia with the idea of finding the last of the women still hand weaving in small towns, in their homes, in laboratories, and in cooperatives. Koza shared the g o a l s o f h e r e n d e a v o r w i t h L'Italo-Americano. "I wanted to meet them, learn how they worked, and bring their artwork to the United States and else- where, educate people about the a r t o f h a n d w e a v i n g — f i n e Sardinian hand weaving — and sell the textiles, with a fair trade mode, of course! I had no idea how this project would grow. My goal is to educate the p e o p l e o f t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s about Sardinia's beauty, her p e o p l e , t r a d i t i o n s , a n d a r t s , especially that of the weavers. "A related video documen- tary titled, "I Want to Weave the Weft of Time," is available for viewing at https://vimeo.com/ 175328435. The documentary shows how Sardinia's traditional women weavers demonstrate technical and artistic skill as they create beautiful textiles. Inspired by a childhood memory of her grand- mother magically weaving beau- tiful textiles at a handloom, weaver Bruna Cossu recounts her return to Sardinia in search of traditional hand weavers, after having lived abroad for 26 years. Thinking that hand weav- ing was a lost art, she was sur- p r i s e d t o d i s c o v e r t h a t i n Samugheo, the weaving capital o f S a r d i n i a , t h r e e w o m e n , Isabella Frongia, her mother Susanna, and her cousin Anna Maria, carry on this vanishing tradition. S a r d i n i a i s k n o w n f o r i t s land, the surrounding sea, the people, tradition, food, art and culture, all of which are diverse and unique. The island is an a u t o n o m o u s r e g i o n o f I t a l y i n c o r p o r a t i n g P h o e n i c i a n , Byzantine, Etruscan, Roman, Spanish, and Italian cultures all blending together to produce an island that has long been c o n s i d e r e d a g e m o f t h e Mediterranean. Koza describes the impor- tance and value of the centuries- old Sardinian art of hand weav- ing. "To elevate the esteem and value of their work, Sardinian weavers need to be recognized as artists. Having talked with, and gathered ideas from experts o v e r t h e p a s t f e w y e a r s , I believe three classifications of textiles will help buyers clearly understand textiles 'made in Sardinia', elevate the esteem for e a c h , a n d p r o t e c t S a r d i n i a n weavers as their items are mar- keted and sold. "Handmade textiles are those textiles made completely by hand, using looms where all the m o v e m e n t s a n d b e a t i n g a r e done only by hand/foot, and not by a hydraulic, electronic, or computerized loom. Hand-deco- rated textiles are those made by hydraulic, electronic, or com- puterized looms, where all the b e a t i n g i s n o t d o n e b y hand/foot. Mill-made textiles a r e t h o s e m a d e i n m i l l s , b y hydraulic, electronic, and/or computerized looms with mini- mum human involvement, and o f t e n w h e r e m a n y s i m i l a r objects are produced at the same time. Koza goes on to explain, "As m a i n t a i n e r s o f t r a d i t i o n , CATHERINE ACCARDI Sardinian Textile Exhibit on Display in San Francisco Sardinian weavers do far more than preserve an artistic method. They preserve a heritage, a way of living many in the modern w o r l d l a c k a n d s e e k . H a n d weavers also carry the keys to doors of culture and commerce that can open between Sardinia and the US and other countries. "If you would like to share in the preservation of Italian her- itage and explore the Sardinian culture, you might want to view the Sardinian textile exhibit on d i s p l a y a t S a n F r a n c i s c o ' s I s t i t u t o I t a l i a n o d i C u l t u r a t h r o u g h F e b r u a r y 2 4 t h . T h e Institute is located at 601 Van Ness Avenue, Suite F. For addi- tional information and exhibit details, visit their website at www.iicsanfrancisco.esteri.it. Weaver Isa Frongia. Photo courtesy of Kelly Manjula Koza Regional Museum of Sardinian Textile Art in Samugheo. Photo courtesy of Kelly Manjula Koza

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