The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum relaunched The Textile Museum Journal in digital form this fall thanks to a gift from the Makarian Foundation.
Founded in 1962 and last published in 2004, the journal publishes original peer-reviewed research on the cultural significance, technical impact and historical importance of textiles from Asian, African and indigenous American cultures.
Journal editor Sumru Belger Krody, a senior curator at the museum, said the revamped publication would help establish GW as a center of knowledge on textile scholarship.
“The Textile Museum Journal has functioned through the decades as a forum for students of various branches of textile studies—from textile conservation to textile history to textile structures,” Krody said. “At a time when textile scholarship is gaining ground in the academy, in part through the availability of online discussion, the journal will become a model for the use of digital technology and nonlinear, cross-disciplinary research practices.”
The Textile Museum established the journal as an outgrowth of “Workshop Notes,” the museum’s pamphlet series based on papers presented at its events. Originally an avenue for museum curators to publish collections-based research, it became a forum for new research, including fieldwork.
Upcoming issues will include research on archaeological finds, descriptions of ethnographic textile techniques and analysis of historically important textiles. Lists of articles from past issues are available on the journal’s website, as well as information on how to subscribe or submit a manuscript.