Art collector and textile enthusiast Guido Goldman received the George Hewitt Myers Award for lifetime achievement Friday evening for furthering the field of textile arts through his education and preservation efforts on behalf of the art of Central Asian ikat.
The Myers Award, named for The Textile Museum’s founder and presented by the board of trustees of the George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum, is recognized internationally as the highest accolade in the field of textile arts. The award was presented at the museum’s annual gala, "A Night on the Silk Road."
“Receiving this prestigious award serves as a gratifying culmination of having built the foremost Central Asian ikat collection,” Dr. Goldman said. “This collection now belongs to 12 American museums, which have mounted eight major exhibitions over two decades and whose catalogue was designated the best art book of 1997 by the Art Libraries Society of North America.”
Dr. Goldman is director of German studies at the Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies at Harvard University, the founder and former chairman of the German Marshall Fund and former vice chair of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.
He first encountered Central Asian ikat—an art form employing a sophisticated resist-dye technique to create vibrant abstract patterns—in 1975. He subsequently became a passionate collector, building one of world’s premier collections of Central Asian ikat textile art.
Earlier this month, the museum opened “Binding the Clouds: The Art of Central Asian Ikat,” which showcases 32 ikat hangings from the collection Dr. Goldman donated to The Textile Museum shortly after its move to GW’s Foggy Bottom Campus.
“We are delighted to honor Guido for his exemplary leadership as an internationally respected collector, benefactor and institution builder,” said Bruce P. Baganz, president of the board of trustees of The Textile Museum and co-chair of the board of the George Washington University Museum. “His focus to preserve the history of ikat textiles will help future generations of connoisseurs, designers and scholars deepen their appreciation of the art and culture of the people of Central Asia.”
In addition to Dr. Goldman, the museum honored former GW President Steven Knapp and GW’s executive vice president and treasurer Lou Katz with The Textile Museum Award of Distinction in recognition of their roles in establishing The Textile Museum’s affiliation with the university.
“Presiding over the merger of The Textile Museum and the George Washington University was one of the easiest lifts of my time as president,” Dr. Knapp said. “My knowledge of textiles was limited when our discussions began, and I regard my growing familiarity with the museum and its collections as one of the most intellectual and culturally enriching experiences of my presidency.
“It is a tremendous honor to receive this award, and I look forward to watching this partnership continue to thrive and grow in the coming years.”
Mr. Katz, who is retiring this summer, said it was “an honor to receive this award on behalf of the university.”
“It takes a great number of people across the entire institution and beyond to complete a project of this magnitude,” he said.
Nobel Laureate Dr. Henry A. Kissinger spoke at the George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum's "A Night on the Silk Road" gala evening. (Paul Morigi/AP Images for the George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum)