The TRC is closed to the public until further notice due to big changes and an intended move to other premises. The TRC remains in contact via the web and emails, and is open for organised events and workshops.
A hand embroidered woman's wedding blouse from Croatia, early 20th century. This blouse was the first external donation to the TRC Collection, which was started in 1997 (TRC 1997.0067).The Textile Research Centre in Leiden, the Netherlands, was established almost thirty years ago, on 19th December 1991. Since then it has grown into a internationally recognised centre of excellence with a large collection of ca. 36,000 objects, a textile library of more than 5,000 books, and an extensive programme of lectures, workshops and courses aimed at strengthening and inspiring craft and artisan skills in the intercultural world of textiles and dress. Despite the corona crisis, the TRC is thriving and optimistic about its future.
Next month, on 5 February, the TRC wll open its new exhibition American Quilts. To introduce you to the intriguing history of quilts and quilt making in America, we present to you the provisional text boards that will go with the exhibition. The texts were written by the two curators of the exhibition, Susan Cave and Beverley Bennett. A PDF file with the texts can be downloaded here. Enjoy!
It has been suggested that the writing and publishing of printed books will stop as a result of the internet, the use of ebooks and so forth. But we see little signs of this! The reverse, in fact. More and more books about textiles, dress and accessories are being published. It is the diversity of subjects that is particularly increasing. This diversity of subjects is highlighted in the following book recommendation for September 2019. These include books recently published and/or recently added to the TRC library.
The TRC is very proud to publish eighteen online exhibitions, which highlight some of the fascinating textiles and garments in the TRC Collection. The latest addition is; The online displays are all based on the TRC Collection and past TRC exhibitions, which can be borrowed by other suitable venues. If you are interested, please This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. us.
The eighteen titles are:
The new list of some of the books recently added to the TRC Library is very varied with respect to languages! It includes items in Chinese, Dutch, Italian, Russian as well as English. This variety is partly due to the fact that the director of the TRC attended a conference on handlooms at the National Silk Museum, Hangzhou, at the end of May 2018. During the course of the conference she was given, as well as purchased, a number of books about looms, textiles, clothing and embroidery. Some of these books are described below.
But the range of languages is also due to the fact that more and more people and indeed publishers are sending books to the TRC. The list reflects this growing interest in ‘real’ books about textiles, clothing and accessories in all their many and varied forms.
The number of textile books being produced is steadily increasing and it is clear from the range of subjects covered in the following list that authors from diverse academic and non-academic backgrounds have become involved in placing textiles and dress within their well-earned positions in cultural studies - in all its many forms. To make it easier for the reader, the TRC librarians are in the process of putting all the recommended books, discussed in the preceding years, into a single list based on author and title, which will then be linked to the TRC Library catalogue. Anyhow, below is a varied list of some of the publications recently added to the TRC library. For the online catalogue of the library, click here. For the list of reviews published in December last year, click here.
The TRC is closed to the public until further notice due to an upcoming move to other premises. The TRC remains in contact via the web, telephone and email.
The TRC is dependent on project support and individual donations. All of our work is being carried out by volunteers. To support the TRC activities, we therefore welcome your financial assistance: donations can be transferred to bank account number (IBAN) NL39 INGB 000 298 2359, in the name of the Stichting Textile Research Centre. BIC code is: INGBNL2A.
Since the TRC is officially recognised as a non-profit making cultural institution (ANBI), donations are tax deductible for 125% for individuals, and 150% for commercial companies. For more information, click here
