Study Group

Textiles of Southwest China and Southeast Asia

Maonan wedding blanket. Photo courtesy of Chris Buckley

Southwest China and Southeast Asia is one of the world’s most diverse regions, with peoples from four major language families. The weaving traditions of this region are equally diverse and colorful and subsequently spread to other parts of Asia. Textile experts Chris Buckley and Serena Lee will introduce the region, using field photographs and outstanding examples of textiles. They will talk about the variety of techniques, styles, and looms. The talk is aimed at anyone with a general interest in the craft traditions of Asia as well as textile collectors.

Chris Buckley is an expert in Asian textiles who lived in China and Hong Kong for twenty years and now lives in the Bay Area. He is the author of several books, including Roots of Asian Weaving (Oxbow Books, 2015). His particular interest is how culture in general, and crafts in particular, are transmitted from generation to generation.

Serena Lee is a textile artist, founder of Textile Odyssey Tours, and leader of the Ethnic Textiles Study Group of the Textile Arts Council, a support group of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. She has presented her research internationally and nationwide at numerous conferences. Her particular interest is in the role clan dress and textiles play in maintaining ancestral identity, social structure, and history of these communities that remain a mystery to outsiders.

This study group consists of a morning session and an afternoon session. Please note that lunch is not included in the registration fee. Attendees can purchase lunch in the museum café, and are welcome to bring food into the Koret Education Center.

Chris Buckley

Serena Lee. Photo by Bob Hsiang.

Registration Policies

The Society for Asian Art’s cancellation policy requires at least one week’s advance written notice in order to receive a refund of registration fees. This excludes our Travel programs, which have separate cancellation policies, as well as any programs where a specific refund policy is stated on the event page. Your fees will be returned to you through a check in the mail. To cancel, please contact us.

For programs located within the Asian Art Museum, the museum entrance fee must be paid separately and is not included with your registration fee.

Please note that by registering for a program, you are giving consent to the SAA to be photographed or videoed as a participant.

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