October 3rd, 2023
Gift of textiles and basketry from the Estate of Paul Smith to the Muzeul Textilelor,
Băița, Hunedoara County, Romania
The Muzeul Textilelor is proud to announce an important donation of 274 artifacts (included in 197 groups) recently received from the Estate of Paul J. Smith, from New York City. This donation encompasses outstanding artifacts from various cultures from Asia, Americas, Africa,
and Australia. This donation is not only enriching the Muzeul Textilelor’s existing collection, but most importantly, is enabling us to fill the gaps within our collection. Especially important are the silk ikats from Central Asia, the Phulkari and Rabari embroideries from India, the Ndebele beadwork, the Pre-Columbian textiles, the South-East Asian costumes and accessories, and basketry from various cultures.
The Museum will use this invaluable donation for exhibitions, scholarly research, students’ studies, and publications.
Paul J. Smith (1931 – 2020) was an artist, an art collector, a curator, and for over twenty years the director of the Museum of Arts and Design (former Museum of Contemporary Crafts) from New York City. He was a prominent figure in promoting, preserving and collecting international craft artifacts, and in refining museums’ approach towards craft arts. Since 1957 Smith was a member of American Craft Council. In 1987 Paul J. Smith became an Emeritus Director of the Museum of Arts and Design. Independently, he continued his work with museums, art organizations and art collections. His work was publicly acclaimed and awarded.
We are enormously thankful to the generous support given to our Museum by the Estate of Paul
J. Smith, and by Mrs. Kathleen Nugent Mangan who initiated and facilitated this gift.
July 1st, 2019
International Festival of Extra-ordinary Textiles (FITE), “Déviations”, July 6-8th, 2019
Muzeul Textilelor, Băița City Hall and Școala Gimnazială Băița are pleased to invite you at the International Festival of Extra-ordinary Textiles (FITE), Déviations, which is organized by French partners in collaboration with Romanian cultural and educational institutions.
This program it is a part of the FITE România, which will take place in Băița, Brașov, Sibiu, București and Constanța, on July 6-14th, 2019. Please find the program for July 6th and 7th in the attached document. The program will be opened to the public in Băița and Hărțăgani, Hunedoara County.
The event taking place on Monday, July 8th, it is reserved to a group of specialists for discussions and decisions making regarding the European project of extra-ordinary textiles.
For details please see the attached invitation. You can find more information about the Museul Textilelor at www.muzeultextilelor.org.
Contact:
Florica Zaharia, Director and Co-Owner
Tel. +40 732 514 037
E-mail: florica.zaharia@muzeultextilelor.org și florica.t.zaharia@gmail.com
May 24th, 2019
The opening of the Wool and Water—Woven Felted Blankets of the Balkan-Carpathian Region Exhibition – Muzeul Textilelor, Building B, Băița, No. 20A, Hunedoara County, România
Traditional blankets, cerga și țolul, textile objects with a specific function, are the messengers of a complex textile technology, and imply the breeding of animals for wool, the cultivation of plants for fibers, and the management of water power. These blankets represent the essence of the relationship between the artistic creation attained in the home textile industry over centuries, and the necessities imposed by the mountain environment. At the same time, the pieces define the human relationship of the various participants, to the technological process of producing them.
Based on long-term scientific investigation, which included in-situ research and lab work, in particular technical analyses and fiber microscopy, this exhibition aims to familiarize the public with the art of producing traditional blankets typical to the Balkan-Carpathian area. We also intend to bring out the common characteristics of these pieces produced by various populations who lived in similar geo-climatic conditions.
The exhibition has four sections: the materials and technologies for producing blankets, cerga with tufts (ciupi), Aromanian blankets, and thin blankets called țol. The objects from the exhibition belong to the collection of the Muzeul Textilelor.
The exhibition’s curator is Dr. Florica Zaharia.
We welcome the press on May 24th, 2019 at 5:00PM. For details please see the attached invitation
Contact:
Florica Zaharia, Director and Co-Owner
Tel. 40 732 514 037
E-mail: florica.zaharia@muzeultextilelor.org and florica.t.zaharia@gmail.com
March 16th, 2019
The opening of the “Decades of Visual Memory—Photographs by Ana and Gheorghe Tripon” Exhibition.
Muzeul Textilelor, Building B, Băița, no. 21, Hunedoara County, România
The first ever exhibition dedicated to the photographers Ana and Gheorghe Tripon includes photographs taken by them between 1958-1992, as well as a few taken by unknown photographers during the first half of the 20th century – before their time. Located in Băița, Hunedoara County, România, the two photographers portrayed places, people, the important moments in their lives, social events, and the costumes and textiles specific to the region. Their photographs are mostly monochrome (black-and-white,) but there are also some in color, and some that have been colored.
The photography of Ana and Gheorghe Tripon served the need of Băița region comunity members to immortalize in images the people they loved, capturing the important moments in their lives. Along with the fulfillment of this mission, their photographs convey the documentary value of recording people’s life style, and the traditional physical assets of the region – the architecture, the costume and the home-made textile inventory.
The rapid transformations that occurred during the 20th century can be observed throughout the Tripon’s photographs, and we can establish connections between various eras.
In today’s context, when photography produces instant images, Ana and Gheorghe Tripon’s photography, from photo shoot to film processing was the result of an intense creative labor but also of a technical accuracy, remain unique.
The photographs included in the exhibition belong to the following collections: Ana Tripon, Muzeul Textilelor, Elena Țucă, and Victoria Tripon.
We welcome the press on March 29th, 2019 at the following times: 11:00am to 1:00pm, and at 5:00PM.
The exhibition is curated by Florica Zaharia.
Contact:
Ana Teodora Draguș, Vicepreședinte și Co-proprietar
Tel. 40 733 986 594 / e-mail: ana.zaharia@muzeultextilelor.org
May 25, 2018
The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Donation to the Muzeul Textilelor, Băița, Hunedoara County, Romania.
The Muzeul Textilelor recently received an important donation of 1,871 costumes, accessories and textiles from The Costume Institute at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, in New York City. This group encompasses artifacts from near 100 cultures around the world, including pieces from eastern European countries, and in particular Romania. This donation enriches the Muzeum Textilelor’s existing collection of approximately 10,000 pieces.
The Museum will use this unevaluable donation for exhibitions, scholarly research, students’ studies, and publications. “The Opposite Cultures—Romanian and Japanese Traditional Costumes” to open in spring 2019 at the ASTRA Museum in Sibiu, Romania, will be the first exhibition to include pieces from The Met’s donation.
We are enormously thankful to our American colleagues for their generous support toward our young Museum. The Muzeul Textilelor formally opens on May 26 and will open to the public on May 28, 2018.
Apr 15, 2018
Opening of the Muzeul Textilelor in Baita, Hunedoara County, Romania
The inauguration of the Muzeul Textilelor will be on May 26, and the opening to the public on May 28, 2018.
The Museum is owned by Florica and Romulus Nicolae Zaharia and their daughter Ana Teodora Dragus. The textile collection, formed during the last four decades, encompasses approximately 12,000 textiles and tools. Its focus is on textile materials and techniques used worldwide. The Muzeul Textilelor is the first museum of its kind in Romania and, to our knowledge, in all of Eastern Europe.
The two inaugural exhibitions reflect the type of collection the Museum houses, and its mission. Textiles-Art and Necessity: Highlights of the Muzeul Textilelor Collection displays examples of textiles from various cultures including fabrics made of a wide range of textile fibers, as well as tools, costumes and accessories, and textiles for interiors. The Mathematics of Weaving: Work by the Students of Hunedoara County, at the Museum’s Art Café, demonstrates our commitment to working with the young members of the community. Both exhibitions are curated by Florica Zaharia.