Please join the Textile Arts Council and Talia Spielholz,  Assistant Curator of Costume and Textile Arts at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, on a tour to The City of Angels, a city vibrant with both historic and contemporary textiles. We will spend four days on exclusive studio visits with contemporary artists using textiles as their medium, curator-led museum exhibition and collections tours, and a walking tour of Los Angeles’ garment district.  Highlights include:

·       A day at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art including a tour of Textile Alchemy: The Art of Reiko Sudo and NUNO led by Sharon Takeda, Senior Curator and Department Head, Costumes and Textiles, and a curator-led tour of the 130 textile and costume pieces in the newly opened David G. Geffen Gallery. Designer Reiko Sudō is a textile alchemist who, for more than 40 years, has pioneered innovative textiles that merge tradition with experimentation and handicraft with technology.

·       Studio visits with Guillermo Bert, a Chilean-born multi-media artist working with textiles and film; and Meredith Strauss, a weaver, dyer, and quilter who specializes in wall pieces as well as wearables and jewelry.

·       Possible curator-led tour at The Getty Center

·       A visit to UCLA’s Fowler Museum, including the exhibit Textiles as Monuments featuring the work of three contemporary artists of South Asian descent—Suchitra Mattai, Jagdeep Raina, and Swapnaa Tamhane—who transform textiles of their cultural heritage into memorials for those who have been unrecognized in public displays of historical memory. We also hope to have a collections storage visit.

·       A visit to ASU FIDM (Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising) and a walking tour of LA’s fashion district including Santee Alley, a truly unique experience, where the fashion industry and cultures from around the world collide to form a festival-like atmosphere.

·       Three nights will be spent at the 4-star boutique Kimpton Hotel Wilshire, an excellent location on the Miracle Mile close to restaurants, shopping, and cultural attractions.

A final, updated Itinerary will be sent to you two weeks prior to the tour. 

This tour requires participants to be independently mobile, as we will be doing a lot of walking in the city and standing in museums. Travelers must be in good health and have sufficient stamina to keep pace with an active group on long days of touring. Any condition that may require any individual accommodation or special medical attention must be reported at the time of registration. Travel insurance is required for participation on this tour. Information about insurance will be provided at the time of registration.