KASHMIR // CASHMEER
Writing and designing the first journal of engaged, emic scholarship by a South Asian woman on Kashmiri shawl weaving traditions.
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Funded by ︎︎︎ RISD Research, ︎︎︎ UNESCO Creative City Network, and the ︎︎︎ Government of India, this journal explores the Lucy Truman Aldrich collection at the ︎︎︎ Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design to problematize and reframe colonial systems of knowledge acquisition and transmission as they pertain to craft communities.
kashmir // cashmeer is a 200-page journal that thoroughly researches basic stylistic features, production techniques, material properties, and historical and cultural traditions of weaving in the Kashmir Valley through post-colonial theory and engaged scholarship practices.
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“In researching the museum’s collection, I realized the need for a greater understanding of the material processes that go into the creation of these shawls. From the grazing of the endangered Changpatani goats whose hair is used to spin the yarn to the dyeing of the yarn to the weaving of the shawls on old pine looms. The labor that goes into such masterful creations, and the people who carry it out, are often overlooked.”
︎︎︎ Students Yukti Agarwal and Gina Vestuti Promote Social Equity through RISD-Funded Research
︎︎︎ Yukti Agarwal (BRDD 2024) Received SPUR Funding to Research Kashmiri Shawls
︎︎︎ Museum of Art and Photography—Why I Love Art: My Nani’s Tijori
︎︎︎ Museum of Art and Photography—Why I Love Art: My Nani’s Tijori
“This opportunity to extend research, knowledge, and experiential learning while supporting the museum’s mission to open access and diversify interpretation of items in its collections to include those not traditionally invited in will no doubt bear fruit for many years to come and on many levels.
— Kate Irvin
Curator of Costumes and Textiles, Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design
“The Journey of the Jamawar” was exhibited at the Asian Galleries of the Aldrich Wing in the RISD Museum from January — September, 2022.
The full exhibition catalogue can be found in the printed version of desi—gned: New England’s First Publication for the South Asian Diaspora.
The full exhibition catalogue can be found in the printed version of desi—gned: New England’s First Publication for the South Asian Diaspora.
kashmir // cashmeer critiques indigenous knowledge systems extrapolated into Western knowledge systems and heavily anglicized during the colonial project.
kashmir // cashmeer increases access to indigenous knowledge by bringing native terminology, community voices, and the importance of embodied knowledge to the forefront of contemporary discourse.
kashmir // cashmeer dismantles the neutrality of the colonial space of the museum through engaged scholarship guided by communities often silenced in such spaces.
PROJECT DETAILS
Funded by:
RISD Research, RISD Museum, UNESCO Creative City Network, J&K Government of India
Timeline:
Tools:
Skills:
RISD Research, RISD Museum, UNESCO Creative City Network, J&K Government of India
Timeline:
100 weeks (2021 - 2023)
Tools:
G-Suite, Adobe InDesign
Skills:
Engaged Research, Language Translations, Writing, Content Creation and Curation, Creative Direction, Editorial and Print Design, Print and Publishing, Community Outreach, Strategic Partnerships, Fundraising, Circulation and Distribution