Khayamiya: Khedival to Contemporary: The Egyptian Tentmakers from 1890 to 2010

I curated the first international touring exhibition designed to present the world's first survey of Khayamiya, or Egyptian Tentmaker Applique, from the late nineteenth century to the present. Thirty rare Khayamiya panels, up to 5m x 3m in size, were brought together from a private collection to demonstrate the feasibility of a larger-scale international exhibition on this subject. This was displayed in the HR Gallop Gallery of Wagga Wagga from August 26 to September 12, 2013. This exhibition was the largest manifestation of my ongoing research into the art history of the Khayamiya, which is an uncharted aspect of Islamic and vernacular art in Egypt. Khayamiya is an important part of the visual heritage of Egypt, but is facing extinction on account of few people adopting the Tentmaker profession. My academic research and publications seek to sustain this art form by providing it with recognition at the level of international curators and textile collectors, as well as documenting the history and variations of this unique textile art form in case it becomes extinct. This exhibition documented rare Khayamiya specimens, raised awareness of the history of Khayamiya as an art form, and presented a compelling case for touring the exhibition to much larger venues over coming years. It facilitated the presentation of a lecturing tour in Australia and the UK, as well as ABC radio and WIN television interviews. It also defined the term "Khedival Khayamiya" for the first time.