Unswept Rug, 2015
In March of 2014, I traveled to Afghanistan with five artists, a curator, and two rug importers. We were brought there through a program funded by the American Task Force for Business Stability Operations, a Department of Defense program, in order to see the process through which carpets are made in Afghanistan. The D.O.D. program was intended to develop trade by encourage Afghan production of products which could be exported.
When we returned to Los Angeles, we each created a carpet design to be woven by Afghan weavers. The carpets were on view at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles from June 13 through September 27, 2015.
The carpets were produced in editions of five. Proceeds from the carpet sales benefit Arzu Studio Hope, an organization providing fair wages, childcare and classes to women weavers. For more about the design, please click here.
