Join Elena Phipps for a program unraveling the Peruvian tradition of weaving textiles with four finished edges—also known as selvages. She will highlight examples from the Fowler Museum’s noteworthy collection of pre-Columbian textiles that demonstrate the high level of artistic achievement of Peruvian weavers, known for their mastery of color, technique, and design.

Elena Phipps, Ph.D., Columbia University (pre-Columbian Art History and Archaeology, 1989) has focused her professional work on the study of the history of textile materials and techniques in cultural contexts. She was senior conservator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (1977- 2010), where she co-curated two major textile exhibitions: The Colonial Andes: Tapestries and Silverwork 1430-1830 (2004; the accompanying catalogue received the CAA Alfred Barr Jr. Award and the Mitchell Prize) and The Interwoven Globe: Worldwide Textile Trade (2013). In 2013, Phipps guest curated the Fowler exhibition, The Peruvian Four-Selvaged Cloth: Ancient Threads, New Directions,and authored its catalogue. She was President of the Textile Society of America (2011-14); and has taught textile history, techniques, and cultures in UCLA’s Department of World Arts and Cultures/Dance and at the Fowler Museum since 2011.

Lunch & Learn
The Fowler’s Lunch & Learn series offers easily digestible explorations of charismatic objects from around the world in our permanent collection. Join us to chew on some sustenance and feed your mind during your lunch break.

Image credit: Artist Unknown (Chancay or Rimac, central coast Peru); Panel with crowned figures bearing staffs; Fowler Museum at UCLA, X65.8730; Gift of the Wellcome Trust