Fall 2024 Events
October 23-25 – Director Sarah Rich will be presenting at the 43rd International Conference, Dyes in History & Archaeology Conference in Leeds, United Kingdom.
October 2, 6:00pm – “From Forest to Walnut Hull and Oak Gall Ink,” Pasto Agricultural Museum
Oak galls—small growths on trees produced by insects to protect developing eggs—have been used for millennia in the making of ink. Treasury and mint records were typically written in gall ink because it is difficult to erase, and famous historic documents (from the Domesday Book of England to the Declaration of Independence) continue to demonstrate gall ink’s enduring importance.
Sarah Rich will bring in several kinds of oak galls for examination. After a brief presentation on the history of gall ink in art and writing, she will show participants how to make their own gall ink according to historic recipes.
September 20, 1:00-3:00– Center will be hosting an Open House in 241 Borland.
Summer 2024 Events
August 9-13 – Associate Director John Russell attended a workshop hosted by the Mathematical Humanists and sponsored by the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History at New Media at George Mason University and the University of California-Los Angeles, with funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
May 21-22 – Kress Convening. The Center welcomed eight scholars from the United States and Europe to explore the economic and political contexts of the colorant trade in the Americas, Europe and Africa, highlighting the relationships among artists and different trades while also situating colorants in the context of indigenous-settler relationships and the slave trade.
Spring 2024 Events
May 9 – Ian Danner led a felting workshop for the annual College of Arts and Architecture Staff Appreciation Day.
April 3-4 – Catherine Adams and Carolyn Lucarelli presented a poster titled “Let it Boyll: A Contemporary Investigation into the Barclay Dye Recipes Manuscript” at the ARLIS/NA 2024 annual conference in Pittsburgh, PA.
March 15-August 4 – CVMS contributed to PSU Museum Consortium exhibition, “Cabinet of Curiosities: Collecting Then and Now,” on display at the HUB.
February 27 – Expanding Capacities of Care, “Weaving Quiet Together.” 12:00-1:00pm in 125 Borland.
Join Marie Huard (PhD Candidate in Art Education) in finding quiet in the simple process of moving a needle over and under, over and under with soft and textured yarns.
February 16 – “Patterning the Future by Conserving the Past,” talk by Associate Professor of Costume Design Charlene Gross. 12:00-1:00pm in 121 Borland.
February 15 – Love Weaving, part of Love Data Event. 12:00-1:00pm in 241 Borland.
Come weave with friends in a relaxing atmosphere and learn how contemporary fiber artists use textiles for data visualization and documentation. Supplies and instruction provided.
January 30 – Breaking Bread and Barriers: Felt* Community Blanket Workshop. 5:00-7:00pm in 241 Borland.
During this workshop we invite critical discussions about how the College can support student learning, build community relationships, and promote cross-departmental knowledge-building, as we engage with fiber craft. The sessions will be co-facilitated by Ian Danner, a dual-title graduate student in Art Education and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, and the Director of the Center for Virtual/Material Studies, Dr. Sarah K. Rich of Art History.
Fall 2023 Events
September 14 – January 15, 2024 Sad Purple and Mauve: A History of Dye Making.
Exhibition in Eberly Family Special Collections Library, Penn State University.
December 6, 6pm – “Dyestuff: Historical Materials of Color,” Pasto Agricultural Museum.
“What do wheat bran, hydrangea branches, oak galls, safflower petals, lotus pods, nutritional yeast, snails, coal tar, and mud have in common? They have all been used to make cloth colorful. Come examine these materials, and learn how they have produced extraordinary colors throughout history and around the world.”
November 13 – African Textiles: Emeritus Professor Bill Dewey will talk about some examples he has collected from a lifetime of living and working in Africa. 12:00pm.
November 10 – Open House and Opening Reception for “Red, Yellow, and Blue: An Inquiry into Natural Dyes.” 1:00-2:30pm in 241 Borland.
November 3 – Sarah K. Rich will lead a tour of the exhibition “Sad Purple and Mauve” in Eberly Family Special Collections at 1:00pm.
October 27 – Dyeing with Indigo. 11:00am in 241 Borland Building.
October 13 – “Making Dyes from Historic Recipes” Show and tell of dyestuff. 11:00am in Mann Assembly, Pattee and Paterno Library.
September 20 – CVMS presented lecture by Dr. Sylvia Houghteling, “Perishable Dyes and the Season in Early Modern South Asia,” Associate Professor of History of Art, Bryn Mawr College. 6:00pm in Foster Auditorium, Pattee and Paterno Library.
August 8-10 – Flax and the Arts. CVMS in partnership with the Pasto Agricultural Museum, will be at Penn State’s Ag Progress Days, exhibiting materials about the relevance of flax and flax processing in the history of art. 11:00am-2:00pm in front of the Pasto Agricultural Museum.
Spring 2023 Events
March 23 – CVMS presented lecture by Elena Phipps “Woven Brilliance: the subtle art of Andean textile traditions” 6pm in 102 Animal, Veterinary, and Biomedical Sciences Building.
March 17 – Weaving Workshop. CVMS graduate assistant, Marie Huard (PhD Candidate) will be demonstrating Creative Paper Weaving. 241 Borland.
February 28 – Tony Cutler, Evan Pugh emeritus, “Erotics of Ivory.” 240 Borland.
February 22 – Ink gall demo and exhibition talk. Presented by CVMS graduate assistant, Alex Coberly (Master’s Candidate). 241 Borland.
February 10 – Weaving Workshop. CVMS graduate assistant, Marie Huard (PhD Candidate) will be demonstrating Tapestry Basics using Hello Looms. 241 Borland.
February 6-8 – Lapis Processing. CVMS graduate assistant, Amy Orner (PhD candidate) will be demonstrating steps in an 18th century recipe to make ultramarine. 241 Borland.
January 23-February 3 – Exhibition of Fashion Archive in Borland Project Space.
Fall 2022 Events
November 18 – Flax Harvest part 3, join the Center in breaking, scutching and hackling the flax that was harvested earlier in the fall. These are the final steps to create flax fiber which can be spun to make linen thread. 1:30pm at the Arboretum in the field behind the Housing and Food Services Building. CANCELED
November 17 – Workshop “Art is getting hot at the science shop: Intro to materials analysis for art historical research” with Awyn Rileybird. 5:45-7:45pm, 241 Borland. RSVP required by November 15. WORKSHOP IS FULL
November 4 – Lapis Roasting. CVMS graduate assistant, Amy Orner (PhD candidate) will be demonstrating steps in an 18th century recipe to make ultramarine. 10:00am, SoVA Ceramics Courtyard.
September 27 – CVMS opening celebration. 4:30-6:00pm, 241 Borland.
September 22 – Dickson Lecture presented by Dr. Lisa Pon, Professor of Art History University of Southern California. “Raphael Working Remotely: Handiwork and Manufacture of the Acts of the Apostles Tapestries.” 6:15pm, 112 Borland.
September 22 – Tapestry Workshop with Dr. Sarah Rich and Dr. Lisa Pon. 10:00-12:00pm, 241 Borland.
August 23 – Flax Harvest part 2, join the Center in removing seed heads (rippling) and laying out to rot (retting) the flax. 8:00-11:00am, at the Arboretum in the field behind the Housing and Food Services Building.
July 19 – Flax Harvest part 1, join the Center in harvesting the flax planted in April. Starting at 7:00am, at the Arboretum in the field behind the Housing and Food Services Building.