Conversations in Cloth: Free Lecture and Trunk Show with Designer Judy Frater

Artisan Designers of Kutch Meet Quilters of Wisconsin

Judy Frater went to Kutch, a desert region of western India, in 1970 to study embroideries of the nomadic Rabaris. She went on to establish the women embroiderers collective Kala Raksha, and lived in India for 30 years. The talk narrates her journey learning and teaching about the cultural heritage embedded in craft traditions. She established the first institute of design education for artisans to ensure creative agency in traditional artisans. After returning to the US in 2020 she has continued to generate creative opportunities for design graduates. The presentation focuses on an exhibition she guest curated at the Wisconsin Museum of Quilts & Fiber Arts, Cedarburg, WI, in 2023, in which artisan designers responded to quilts in the Museum’s collections.

Judy Frater (website and blog) believes that value is the key to sustainability. An Ashoka Fellow, she lived in Kutch 30 years, where she founded Kala Raksha Trust and Museum, and Kala Raksha Vidhyalaya, the first design school for artisans. She later reinvented the school as Somaiya Kala Vidya. She has been honored with the Sir Misha Black Medal for Design Education, the Crafts Council of India Kamla award, the Designers of India Design Guru Award and more.

Previously Associate Curator at The Textile Museum, author of Artisans by Design: An Odyssey of Education for Textile Artisan in India, Threads of Identity: Embroidery and Adornment of the Nomadic Rabaris, and The Art of the Dyer in Kutch, she currently teaches the values of hand craft through direct personal experiences.

Event Details

Date: Wednesday, March 5, 2025

Lecture: 10-11 am

Trunk Show: 11-3 pm

Location: Visions Museum of Textile Art, 2825 Dewey Road, Suite 100, San Diego, CA 92106

This event is free and open to the public.