Irene Emery (1900–1981)[3] was an American art historian, scholar, curator, textile anthropologist, sculptor, and modern dancer.[2][4] She was known for her pioneering research in systematically describing global textiles, and was a leading authority on ancient fabrics and textiles, and for her published book The Primary Structures of Fabrics: An Illustrated Classification (1966).[2][5]
Irene Emery | |
|---|---|
 Irene Emery (c. 1937) carving wall of sun bath at Carrie Tingley Hospital for Crippled Children at Hot Springs, New Mexico[1] | |
| Born | February 1, 1900 Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S. |
| Died | May 21, 1981 (aged 81)[2] |
| Education | Central School of Hygiene and Physical Education, University of Arizona |
| Alma mater | University of Wisconsin–Madison, School of the Art Institute of Chicago |
| Occupations |
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Emery had worked at the Textile Museum from 1954 until 1970.[2] Additionally she had worked as a sculptor for the Federal Art Project, and was a modern dancer in Martha Graham Dance Company.[6]
Early life and early education
editIrene Emery was born on February 1, 1900, in Grand Rapids, Michigan.[7] She was a descent of industrialist William T. Powers on her maternal side.[7]
She trained in dancing at the Central School of Hygiene and Physical Education in New York City; followed by study at the University of Wisconsin–Madison under Margaret H'Doubler.[7]
Dance career
editAfter graduating from the degree program at the University of Wisconsin, Emery moved to New York City to study under Martha Graham and taught dance at the Chapin School.[7] In 1930, she was roommates with dancer Kitty Reese.[7] Emery was one of dancers in Graham's notable dance presentations, Heretic (1929); Martha Graham's Moment Rustica (1929); and in Léonide Massine's The Rite of Spring (1930).[8][7] During The Rite of Spring rehearsals, she broke her ankle but continued to dance on the broken ankle, which caused permanent damage and forced her to leave dancing.[7]
Sculpture career
editShe decided to return to college, studying sculpture at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.[7] After her studies she moved to New Mexico, where worked on local art commissions and worked for the Federal Art Project. Emery was diagnosed with myasthenia gravis which causes muscle weakness, so she could no longer physically continue her sculpture work.[7]
Textile historian and anthropology career
editWhen Emery she was a dancer, she experienced constructing dance costumes.[7] In order to make future costumes she had started collecting textiles in a box.[7] When she could no longer be a sculptor, she started to create textiles with embroidery, followed by weaving.[7] She experimented with different, untraditional textile techniques.[7] In the winter of 1941, she attended the University of Arizona to further her knowledge of textiles.[9]
In the summer 1944, she had a temporary job appointment as a "government weaver" with the goal of conserving Navajo rug and blanket weaving traditions at the Southwestern Range and Sheep Breeding Laboratory in the Cibola National Forest.[7] She worked alongside Navajo weaver Lillian Brown for a month, engaging with both hand-spun and machined yarn.[10] This role set her up for a new career path towards textile anthropology, where she observed disparity in the classification systems.[7] In 1947, she was hired as a research assistant at the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture (formerly named Laboratory of Anthropology and the Museum of New Mexico, which merged).[7]
In 1954, Emery was appointed "research curator of technical studies" at the Textile Museum in Washington, D.C., where she remained until 1970.[7] Her work helped to define textiles (i.e., warp and weft) from other types of fabrics (such as felt or looping).[11][12]
Starting in 1973 after she retired from her position at the museum, Emery created an annual workshop for academics in the field of textiles, named the Irene Emery Roundtable on Museum Textiles.[2]
Awards
edit- 1951– Anthropological Research grant, Wenner-Gren Foundation[7]
- 1953 – Fine Arts Research grant, Guggenheim Fellowship[7][13]
Publications
edit- Emery, Irene (1966). The Primary Structures of Fabrics: An Illustrated Classification. Washington, D.C.: The Textile Museum. ISBN 9780823043941.[14]
- Emery, Irene; Fiske, Patricia L., eds. (1977). Ethnographic Textiles of the Western Hemisphere: Irene Emery Roundtable on Museum Textiles, 1976 Proceedings. Washington, D.C.: Textile Museum.
- Emery, Irene; Fiske, Patricia L., eds. (1977). Looms and Their Products: 1977 Proceedings. Katherine T. Freshley (contribution). Washington, D.C.: Textile Museum.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Irene Emery, ca. 1937, from the Federal Art Project, Photographic Division collection, circa 1920-1965, bulk 1935-1942". Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 2022-05-31.
- ^ a b c d e "Irene Emery, 81, Retired Official Of Textile Museum". The Washington Post. May 27, 1981.
- ^ King, Mary Elizabeth (January 1983). "Irene Emery, 1900–1981". American Antiquity. 48 (1): 80–82. doi:10.1017/S0002731600064118. ISSN 0002-7316. S2CID 164627695.
- ^ Anthropology Newsletter. Vol. 22. American Anthropological Association. 1981. p. 3.
- ^ Scott, Dolores, ed. (December 8, 1944). "Irene Emery's Broken Ankle Transformed Her into a Weaver". Santa Fe New Mexican. p. 2.
- ^ Textile Museum Journal. Vol. 19–26. Textile Museum. 1982. p. 11.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Pin, Sebastian B. (September 28, 2021). "Irene Emery, deconstructing and defining tradition: dance pioneer, sculptor, textile authority". Textile Conservation. Retrieved 2022-05-31.
- ^ "Martha Graham, Booth Theatre, April 14, 1929". Library of Congress. Retrieved 2022-05-31.
- ^ "Irene Emery to Tucson For Winter". Newspapers.com. The Santa Fe New Mexican. November 23, 1941. p. 4. Retrieved 2022-05-31.
- ^ McLerran, Jennifer (2022-05-10). A New Deal for Navajo Weaving: Reform and Revival of Diné Textiles. University of Arizona Press. ISBN 978-0-8165-4324-3.
- ^ Dransart, Penny (2003-09-02). Earth, Water, Fleece and Fabric: An Ethnography and Archaeology of Andean Camelid Herding. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-134-46637-5.
- ^ Fisch, Arline M. (2003). Textile Techniques in Metal: For Jewelers, Textile Artists & Sculptors. Lark Books. p. 86. ISBN 978-1-57990-514-9.
- ^ "Irene Emery". John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation.
- ^ Herold, Elaine Bluhm (January 1968). "The Primary Structures of Fabrics, an Illustrated Classification. Irene Emery. The Textile Museum, Washington, 1966. xvi + 339 pp., 378 figs., index, bibliography. $20.00". American Antiquity. 33 (1): 109–110. doi:10.2307/277784. ISSN 0002-7316. JSTOR 277784. S2CID 164783095.