EWU logo

    • Apply
    • Academics
    • Athletics
    • Calendar
    • Community
    • About
    • InsideEWU
    • Canvas
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

EWU Admissions

Blogs for Future EWU Eagles

  • Blogs
  • About EWU
  • Contact Us

Four Yurt tapestries you'll want to see

05/01/2018 by afuller Leave a Comment

Have you ever wanted to curate your own art gallery or exhibit? Anthropology student and artist Angeline Nesbit has by curating the “Song of Silence” gallery in the EWU Downtown Student Gallery, displaying tapestries that once hung in yurts across Kyrgyzstan.

What are yurts?

Yurts are large hide buildings held up by wooden poles. They aren’t as pack able as tents, but are sturdier. Basically, a yurt is a house that can be torn down and put up somewhere else. Central Asia has extreme weather, so nomads keep moving with their flock.

Why these tapestries?

I was able to talk with Angeline about the tapestries and I learned a lot about tapestry creation and designs. She said that “I also have a background in weaving and more traditional craft like quilting, knitting, all that kind of stuff, so I have an interest in textiles.”

Angeline picked eleven tapestries from over a hundred to display, and her choices show that she carefully studied the tapestries to find variety in technique and color use.

The tapestries themselves range from 19th century (really old for a fabric) pieces to more recent works that give insight into the Soviet control of Kyrgyzstan in the 1950s. Designs range from simple mandalas (circular flower shapes) to the large Soviet star and symbols.

Let’s take a look!

rectangular tapestry, top and sides embroidered with intricate designs

This tapestry is a great example of a finished tapestry. It’s about five to six feet tall and ten feet wide and has all three sides and two triangular pieces attached. Most of the tapestries depicted in the gallery were incomplete, missing either the middle piece, or one or more of the sides. They took up to ten years to make so it’s not surprising to find incomplete ones!

corner of tapestry made in 1800s

This piece was made in the late 1800s and shows off the different fabric used at the time. Red was one of the rarest and most valued colors, but as time went on, red dye became more available.

top or side pieces of incomplete tapestry

This appears to be a side piece and a top piece. Nothing new to add, I just think they look cool!

small triangle piece of tapestry

This is one of the triangle pieces that either detached from the main tapestry or was never attached to a completed piece. The birds and the intricate flowers here look really complex. Whoever made this tapestry went through the trouble of stitching the bird wings in a shape that separate them from the body of the bird. Although the fabric is faded, you can kind of see the different colors used in this tapestry.

small tapestry about 1.5 X 2.5 feet

I did say four images but I really like this one too. I’m not sure where this panel fits in a tapestry, it may be part of a side piece or it might be a complete piece.

Filed Under: Academics, Community, EWU, Student Life

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Take Your Next Steps

  • Apply for Admission
  • Request information

Recent Posts

  • Creative works at the student symposium
  • Career Classes at EWU: How to Find Your Major
  • Killer Crime: Get Lit! hosts crime writing panel
  • Comic Creations: comic artists talk at Get Lit!
  • When to negotiate your salary (every time you get a job)
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Archives

  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • March 2015
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • February 2014
  • November 2013
  • April 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • September 2012
  • July 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • April 2011
  • December 2010
  • August 2010

Categories

  • Academics
  • Admissions
  • College Fit
  • Community
  • EWU
  • International
  • Location
  • STEM
  • Student Life
  • Tuition & Financial Aid
Eastern Washington University
509.359.6200 • Contact Information
EWU expands opportunities for personal transformation through excellence in learning.
  • About EWU
  • Accessibility
  • Campus Map
  • Visit EWU
  • Diversity
  • InsideEWU
  • EWU Libraries
  • Jobs
  • Campus Locations
  • Canvas
  • Leadership
  • EWU Foundation
  • Privacy Policy
  • Rules Docket

© 2022 Eastern Washington University