Organizing the ATW80F Textile Collection — Alyssa Gorman, BFA Textiles ’28

by Alyssa Gorman

Upon my return to Santa Fe for the second time, we got started right away on organizing the collection. Around the World in 80 Fabrics is in a transitional period. The fabrics need a more permanent place to call home, hopefully at an institution where they can be utilized as a learning resource for students.

Last week, Carroll, Leslie, and I worked to get the collection archived, documented, and organized so that it could be evaluated and potentially acquired. Luckily, Carroll had a friend who donated a space in a square called Sena Plaza, and it was right in the middle of town! The space itself was beautiful and allocated the perfect amount of room for unboxing each fabric of the 250+ piece collection for inspection.

I loved getting to handle each of the fabrics I was already remotely familiar with, pairing the stories I had read about with the physical forms of material. Once we ensured each of the fabrics was in the right location and systematically documented, the process of curating the room for visitors began. We decided to hang the biggest and most contemporary pieces from the ceiling. I then focused my attention on curating a materials table focused on dye practices, innovative biomaterials, and some of the most precious fabrics to be out on display. The entire week while working, I was able to listen to Carroll tell the stories of procuring each fabric, and listen to the stories of cultural heritage behind each piece. I’m leaving New Mexico with so much inspiration for my own practice.

I would love to dive into some of the stories of the collection in my next (and final) blog post for the fellowship. It feels only right to share some of what I’ve learned about each piece. Here’s a collection of photos that I took during the process of organizing the collection.

A glimpse of some of the colorful fabrics I encountered while unboxing the collection, each with rich histories of making and incredible textile processes.