Research Guides: Fiber & Material Studies Research Guide: Web sites

Web sites

Textile Resource Center
Outsides of SAIC

Textile Resource Center

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Our walk-in hours are limited and change each semester. Please contact us at textileresourcecenter@saic.edu for information about visiting the Textile Resource Center.

The Textile Resource Center, opened in 2013, is a hands-on study collection in the Fiber and Material Studies department at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. This is a non-circulating collection.

The collection includes:

ethnographic textiles
raw materials
studies by contemporary artists and textile designers
textile samples from textile manufacturers
a library of books, catalogs, and journals related to Fiber and Material Studies
audio and video recordings of department lectures

Other SAIC affiliated websites

Fiber and Material Studies Tumblr ( SAIC )
A resource for working in and around the Fiber and Material Studies Department at SAIC
Art Institute of Chicago Textile Collection
The Department of Textiles contains more than 13,000 textiles and 66,000 sample swatches ranging from 300 B.C. to the present. The collection has strengths in Pre-Columbian textiles, European vestments, tapestries, woven silks and velvets, printed fabrics, needlework, and lace. The department has strong holdings in 16th- and 17th-century English needlework, and printed and woven materials of the 18th and 19th centuries. American quilts and woven coverlets, Eastern textiles, and 20th-century fiber art are also represented. Over 10,000 works viewable online with accompanying information.

"Primitive" Textile Collection
A store in Chicago that boasts a museum quality textile collection. Because it is a store, the textiles can be handled without special permission, and visitors are usually accompanied by a docent (often SAIC interns) who can give them more information. They specialize in textiles from Africa, Southeast and Central Asia, India, Indonesia, South & Central America, and Europe, as well as a collection of garments and rugs. Samples from the collection are viewable online with accompanying images.
The Field Museum
The Field Museum has several textile collections. The Asian textile collection includes nineteenth and twentieth century pieces from India, Bhutan, Central Asia, China, Korea, Japan, Indonesia, and the Philippines. In addition, the Carl Schuster collection of Chinese textiles contains examples of Chinese folk embroidery. The Latin American Textiles collection includes textiles from highland Peru, Bolivia and Guatemala. The Africa collection contains 500 traditional textiles, contemporary textiles from Madagascar, bark cloth textiles from Uganda, and Coptic textiles from Egypt.
Chicago History Museum: Costumes and Textiles
The Museum's world-renowned costume and textile collection is noted both for its size and the quality of its holdings.
The Patternbase
Includes Pattern Archive, and provides knowledge about the inner workings of the textile design industry through a series of discussions and interviews with individuals currently working within the textile and fashion design industries today.
Regional Alliance for Preservation : Textiles Conservation Workshop
The Textile Conservation Workshop (TCW) was founded in 1978 to act as a conservation resource for museums, historical agencies and private individuals. Specializing solely in the conservation of textiles, TCW applies the science of conservation and fine craftsmanship to the care and restoration of every type of textile artifact.
TAFA: The Textile and Fiber Art List
TAFA: The Textile and Fiber Art List is a membership association of handmade traditional and contemporary textiles and fiber businesses. TAFA’s members may exhibit, sell, and teach.

Blogs

Textile Arts Center : Blog
Textile Arts Center is a resource facility providing many opportunities for people to engage with textiles and fiber techniques. Whether through our Resource Library, Services + Consulting, Staff Development opportunities, or Sewing Seeds program -- we aim to make the connection accessible, accurate, and engaging.
The Textile Blog
All things textile related!