Ruth Funk Center for Textile Arts Presents ‘Uncommon Threads: Tying the Knot’ Feb. 13 – 14

MELBOURNE, FLA.—Florida Institute of Technology and the Ruth Funk Center for Textile Arts present the annual textiles symposium, Uncommon Threads: Tying the Knot, Feb. 13-14. As part of the symposium, John E. Vollmer, owner of Vollmer Cultural Consultants Inc., will present a free lecture, “Making Manchu Identity,” on Thursday, Feb. 13, at 6 p.m. in the Gleason Performing Arts Center on campus. This talk will address issues about dress related to the Manchu who ruled the Chinese empire as conquering northeast Asians from 1644-1911. Vollmer will explore the myths and realities of Qing dynasty dress, while emphasizing that a distinct alien notion of style and function actually morphed into dress that continues to be viewed as quintessentially “Chinese.” Vollmer is an internationally recognized curator and scholar in the fields of Asian art and textiles who has acted as project manager and exhibit planner for major international exhibitions for the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Royal Ontario Museum; The Bata Shoe Museum; and National Museum of Singapore. In addition to specialized work with textile collections and decorative arts, his Vollmer Cultural Consultants Inc. specializes in strategic planning and practical program development for not-for-profit, public and private sector clients in the fields of museum education, and arts and culture in the United States, Canada and Asia. Vollmer is author of forty museum exhibition catalogues. His numerous academic and popular articles have appeared in many international journals and publications including In the Presence of the Dragon Throne, Ruling from the Dragon Throne, Costume of the Qing Dynasty 1644-1911, Dressed to Rule: 18th Century Court Attire in Mactaggart Art Collection (2007) and Emblems of Empire: Selection from the Mactaggart Art Collection (2009). In 2010 he served as the East Asia volume editor for the 10-volume Berg Encyclopedia of World Dress and Fashion. Reservations are not required for the Feb. 13 lecture and free parking is available. On Friday, Feb. 14, guests can enjoy another presentation at 10:30 a.m. by Vollmer, “Wedding in red, tying the knot in traditional China,” followed by a champagne reception, three-course luncheon and silent auction. This event is in the Hartley Room of the Denius Student Center. Tickets, with limited availability, are $60 each. Valet parking will be available. The honorary chair of this event is Ritva Bowman. Platinum sponsors for Uncommon Threads: Tying the Knot include Northern Trust, Nita Grisham of Wells Fargo Advisors, and Nave Event Design. For more information, contact the Ruth Funk Center for Textile Arts at (321) 674‐8313 or visit http://411.fit.edu/threads. Images: Headshot courtesy of John Vollmer Embroidered silk satin dragon robe and detail, Qianlong period, 1760-1775, formerly in the Myrna Myers Collection, Paris. Photograph © Samuel Myers 2002