Talks
Woven Wonders: Indian Textiles from the Parpia Collection
Banoo Parpia, Sarah Fee, Janice Leoshko, Amy Poster, Cristin Sethi
Kantha (embroidered quilt). Bengal, late 19th or early 20th century. The Parpia Collection, Photograph © The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
Explore the realm of textiles through “Woven Wonders: Indian Textiles from the Parpia Collection” – a captivating live tour of the exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, where experts share insights into textile artistry and the topic of bridging art and craft. With the remarkable collection of Banoo and Jeevak Parpia, discover narratives within a selection of key textiles in the exhibition. Banoo Parpia joins Consulting Curator Amy Poster to introduce this exploration, adding depth to the pieces on display. Joining the conversation are textile experts Sarah Fee and Cristin Sethi, and art historian Janice Leoshko.
Insider’s View is MAP’s new series to explore behind-the-scenes journeys of different aspects of museums and exhibitions that inspire and engage the audience in different ways. Through the programme, museum professionals take the audience virtually to diverse institutions around the world and share stories, anecdotes, rewarding experiences, and challenges they face in conceptualising, as well as developing the project in focus.
Banoo Parpia
Collector
New York–based collector Banoo Parpia and her husband Jeevak have been involved with the MFAH since 2018, first as guest speakers on India’s global textile traditions, and then as experts to help survey and review selections from the Museum’s Annette Finnigan Collection.
Sarah Fee
Senior Curator, Global Fashion and Textiles, Royal Ontario Museum
Sarah Fee is Senior Curator of Global Fashion and Textiles at the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, and Curator of two extraordinary recent exhibitions Cloth that Changed: India’s Painted and Printed Cottons and Global Threads: The Art and Fashion of Indian Chintz.
Janice Leoshko
Associate Professor, Art History, University of Texas, Austin
Janice Leoshko is Associate Professor of Art History at the University of Texas at Austin, and teaches courses about various issues concerning the art of South Asia as well as Buddhist art throughout Asia. Her recent focus on Sri Lankan art led to her current book project on the significance of the early writing of the major scholar and curator, Ananda Kentish Coomaraswamy.
Amy Poster
Consulting Curator, Asian Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Amy Poster is Consulting Curator for Asian Art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. She chaired the Department of Asian Art at the Brooklyn Museum, retiring as Curator Emerita in 2006, and continues as an independent curator of Asian Art.
Cristin Sethi
Director of Education, Minneapolis Textile Center
Cristin Sethi is a Curator specializing in textile and craft history. Currently the Director of Education at Minneapolis’ Textile Center, she contributes to the Textile Museum Journal and leads the Selection Committee for the International Folk Art Market, connecting and learning from indigenous makers worldwide.
