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TCD Loose Threads Archive - May 2009
- Robert Hillestad Textiles Gallery undergoes renovation
- TCD Faculty and Grad Students Welcome Emeriti Faculty
- IQSC & Museum website wins MUSE Award
- Professor Michael James wins system-wide ORCA award
Robert Hillestad Textiles Gallery undergoes renovation
TCD Faculty and Grad Students Welcome Emeriti Faculty
TCD Emeriti faculty (seated, from left) Dr. Audrey Newton, Assoc. Prof. Viletta Haddel, Dr. Joan Laughlin, and (standing) Prof. Carol Thayer, Dr. Rob Hillestad
On May 13 TCD faculty and guests welcomed Emeriti faculty for what turned out to be a very successful and gratifying brunch in the new TCD conference room. All of TCD's surviving Emeriti attended and were able to see the gallery of their portraits now hanging in the conference room. Dean Kostelnik and several graduate students also joined those faculty who were on hand, and it was nice to see three generations of TCD scholars saluting one another.
Emma Lehman made a brief but insightful presentation outlining her research into a Renaissance-era metal corset, and several faculty commented on development experiences that they were able to pursue with partial support from the Audrey Newton Fund. Dr. Newton is a former TCD department chair and appreciated hearing about how her gift to the department is helping TCD faculty. Dr. Joan Laughlin, another former TCD chair, suggested that TCD do such an event annually, as Emeriti faculty do enjoy hearing about what's going on in the department and especially like meeting new faculty and hearing about their research and creative endeavors.
Graduate student Emma Lehman discusses her ongoing research into a 16th century corset at the May 13 Emeriti brunch in the new TCD conference room
An event such as this underscores the continuum of activiity that this department embodies, and it reminds TCD members that everything they do contributes to that continuum. TCD looks forward to future opportunities to put the spotlight on the department's connections to its past and linkages to its future.
IQSC & Museum website wins MUSE Award
The International Quilt Study Center & Museum was awarded the Bronze Award in the Online Presence category of the 2009 American Association of Museum MUSE Awards for its Quilt Explorer produced in collaboration with Second Story Interactive Studios of Seattle. The 2009 MUSE Awards competition received almost 250 applications from museums worldwide. Forty-seven winners were named in seven categories: Audio and Visual Tours, Community, Games, Interactive Kiosks, Interpretive Interactive Installations, Multimedia Installations and Online Presence. Sebastian Chan, Head of Digital Services and Research, Powerhouse Museum, Australia, was the jury chair for the Online Presence category. Marin Hanson deserves special recognition for her leadership and contributions to this project.
Professor Michael James wins system-wide ORCA award
University of Nebraska President J. B. Milliken presents the Outstanding Research and Creative Activity Award to TCD Chair Michael James
Department Chair and Professor Michael James was selected as the winner of the 2009 University of Nebraska Outstanding Research and Creative Activity Award. A NU system-wide award, the ORCA was created to honor faculty who have brought distinction to themselves and to the institution as a result of widespread impact and recognition for their research. It is the highest recognition offered by the university for attainments in research and creative activity. Professor James and other 2009 award winners were presented with citations at the annual University Honors Convocation held on April 26 at the Lied Center for the Performing Arts, and with them was fêted at an awards luncheon on Wednesday April 29 at the Champions Club on UNL’s main campus.
James was cited for his artwork that has “garnered international prominence” and for his incorporation of advanced digital technology into his work, as well as for his stature as one of the world’s leading quilt artists. His work is included in the collections of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American Art in Washington, the Museum of Arts and Design in New York City, the Newark Museum of Art in New Jersey, the Indianapolis Museum of Art, the Mint Museum of Craft and Design in Charlotte, NC, the Racine Art Museum in Wisconsin, the Museum of Nebraska Art in Kearney, and the International Quilt Study Center & Museum here at UNL. In addition to serving as department chair, James currently teaches courses in the textile history/quilt studies program and participates in the collaborative Visual Literacy foundations program.
Michael James' A Narrative of Space, of Time 2, a 2008 work evoking the intersections of cultures in the settlement of the Great Plains. Private collection.
Speaking about his studio work James said: “It’s true that having jettisoned their traditional functions as bed covers, quilts such as mine stand more squarely in the world of fine art than they do in the world of the applied arts. I think of them as bridging or straddling different but related domains of visual practice, helping to break down divisions and leading to a more inclusive view of what art practice can be in the 21st century.”
