Posted by Yon Bard on January 11, 1999 at 12:28:16:
Here is a suggestion for a conference event that I think would be of great interest to many people, as well as potentially contribute to rug scholarship: Hold a 'show and tell' rug clinic, in which a panel of experts (with audience participation) examines rugs brought by participants. This would have a two-way benefit: Collectors will be able to get expert help in identifying their mystery rugs, while at the same time bringing unusual pieces to the attention of the rug community. Some controls will have to be exercised over what pieces get discussed, because obviously the time will be limited and one wants to screen out uninteresting pieces; so I suggest that pictures and brief descriptions should be submitted for screening before the conference.
If the demand is heavy enough, one could run these sessions continuosly in parallel with the lectures, with specified time slots devoted to different classes of rugs.
Regards, Yon