The art of weaving utilitarian objects from the fibers of herd animals belongs to a variety of cultures around the world. Weavings of rugs for use as tent rugs, prayer rugs, offering rugs, tent dividers, and other purposes share commonality with those of saddle and food bags, tent and animal trappings, shawls and blankets: exemplified the designs and patterns that identify their culture, and their creators are almost every women. Their pastoral societies which depend upon herd animals to supply daily needs make use of harvested wool spun into yarn and transformed into objects that express traditions of techniques and designs handed down for generations. Within the confines of these traditions, idiosyncratic variations define the individual whose desire for personal expression provides imaginative hybrids. The cultures which create these textiles are rapidly vanishing. Tribal peoples of nomadic and semi-nomadic lifestyles living in a traditional manner are yielding to urban pressures to settle, leaving behind their needs for the woven objects. As a result the art of weaving is also disappearing. Some of the cultures from which magnificent tribal weavings have been produced are themselves vanishing. Political events in Bosnia and Afghanistan have caused devastating effects upon communities which provided remarkable tribal textiles. As the production of these textiles declines so also does the opportunity to document the sources and styles which they represent. Such examples as those appearing in the exhibition in the Lore Degenstein Gallery provide a cross-section of cultural life in the Middle East, North Africa, North America, and Central Asia from 50 to 100 years past. Included in the exhibition are examples from Afghanistan, Iran, Peru, Mexico, and the Navajos. The exhibition of more than 40 objects are a part of a large collection by Valerie Sharaf Justin, who has brought together examples of a variety of types of textiles representative of numerous cultures. Author of a pioneering study of kilim weavings, Flat-Woven Rugs of the World, 1980, Justin observed that among the weavers, “women did most of the work—wives and daughters dutifully taking care of the home. But, they were more than just household drudges—they were expected to be agile with the loom and make textiles both useful and pleasing.” Their role is underscored by an old Turkish saying, “No food for a woman who cannot weave a carpet.” The exhibition was organized by Landau Travelling Exhibitions of Los Angeles, California.   Valerie Livingston     Khorjin. Pair of Saddlebags. Kurd, Eastern Turkey. 36 x 44" Collection of Valerie Justin.