AMERICAN TEXTILE HISTORY MUSEUM TO BE SOLD

The American Textile History Museum ("ATHM") today announced that it has signed a purchase and sale agreement for the Museum’s remaining 65,000-square-foot condominium space at 491 Dutton St., Lowell.

The Museum has agreed to sell the mixed-use space to The Textile Group, LLC. The Edge Group, Inc., a Lowell broker, was engaged by the ATHM Board of Trustees for the sale of the ATHM property, which encompasses space on the first through fourth floors. The remaining property at 491 Dutton Street comprises 45 residential condominiums and commercial space owned by Gazebo Realty Trust and Manchester Property Group, LLC, including space occupied by The Sun newspaper.

ATHM, initially located in North Andover, Massachusetts, purchased the Kitson Building at 491 Dutton Street in 1992 and opened to the public in April 1997. Due to an ongoing financial deficit, the ATHM Board of Trustees voted in May of 2016 to permanently close. The Museum is engaged in the process of transferring the Museum’s collections to other museums and charitable organizations. Learn more at www.athm.org.

AMERICAN TEXTILE HISTORY MUSEUM SEEKS TO CLOSE

AMERICAN TEXTILE HISTORY MUSEUM SEEKS TO CLOSE
Board votes to file for dissolution after exhaustive search for alternative options

Lowell, MA – June 14, 2016—Despite its best efforts to identify a viable and sustainable future for the American Textile History Museum, the ATHM Board of Trustees has voted to seek approval from the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office and Supreme Judicial Court to dissolve the Museum’s 501(c)(3) and permanently close its doors.

“This was an extremely difficult decision for all involved and certainly not the outcome we had hoped and worked for,” said ATHM Board Chair Matthew Coggins. “However, the Board recognizes that serious operational challenges, financial shortfalls, and other circumstances make it impossible to ethically and responsibly dedicate further financial assets to attempt to keep our doors open.” Exhausted alternatives

Operating at a significant deficit for the past two decades, the Museum has been continuously drawing on shrinking reserves to balance the budget. Over the past seven months, the Board has gathered and analyzed extensive data in consultation with the Nonprofit Finance Fund and Laura Roberts Consulting, but has been unable to identify a viable and sustainable business model that would allow ATHM to continue. A fundraising feasibility study indicates that the Museum would likely be unable to raise sufficient funds to adequately support future operations.

Next steps and protection of the collection
All ATHM exhibits are now closed to the public; all programs and classes are closed as of June 30, 2016. In Massachusetts, a public charity can voluntarily dissolve only with the close involvement of the Attorney General’s Office and the approval of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. ATHM has begun that process. Protecting and preserving the Museum’s priceless collection of American artifacts is the priority of the ATHM Board, which is working closely with the Attorney General’s Office to ensure the collection’s long-term stewardship in the coming months.

Continued need for support
ATHM is continuing to gratefully accept funding from individuals, corporations, and foundations to support the thousands of curatorial hours necessary to ensure the proper care of collections as they are prepared to be transferred to other organizations that can provide faithful and long-term stewardship, according to ATHM Interim Executive Director Todd Smith. “We are asking that all who share a love of and concern for America’s history and heritage help us preserve and protect the Museum’s unparalleled collection of American artifacts.”

“Look at all the good we’ve done”
Christopher Rogers, a member of the ATHM Board of Advisors and the grandson of Caroline Stevens Rogers—who founded ATHM in 1960—said that the closure of ATHM will be a sad day, but that his grandmother was a big believer in change when change is needed. “She’d be the first to cry for a minute for the loss, but then say, ‘It’s been incredible. Look at all the good we’ve done.’”

###

About ATHM
Founded in 1960 and affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution, the American Textile History Museum (ATHM) in Lowell, Massachusetts, has been an unparalleled resource of knowledge about an industry that helped define the course of this country—and continues to shape our world today. With a mission to tell America’s story through the art, science, and history of textiles, ATHM houses the most significant integrated textile history collection in North America, with thousands of books, manuscripts, and images; millions of textile samples, flat textiles, and articles of clothing; as well as hundreds of textile-making tools and machines. The Osborne Library alone contains more than 90,000 books, manuscripts, postcards, trade literature, images, and periodicals. The Chace Catalogue provides online access to the artifact collections at www.athm.org. In addition to its core exhibit, the Museum offered rotating special exhibits, family-friendly interactive centers, events, lectures, classes, and workshops. Learn more at www.athm.org.

Agathon Associates' Comments at Meeting of U.S. Manufacturing Council

The United States Manufacturing Council met today at the Department of Commerce. David Trumbull, Principal, Agathon Associates, attended and submitted the following comments.

* * *

I thank the Council for this opportunity to submit public comments. I am a consultant to the textile industry. My clients are engaged at every stage of textile manufacturing in the United States, from fiber processing through finished articles. I am pleased to note that since the establishment of the Council in 2004, the textile industry has been represented among its members, including, currently, by Warwick Mills of New Ipswich, New Hampshire. No discussion of manufacturing in America is complete without including our first industry, the textile industry. According to the American Textile History Museum in Lowell, Massachusetts, Samuel Slater, by constructing a fully functional water-powered yarn spinning mill in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, in 1790, became known as the Father of the Industrial Revolution in America.

The quality and creativity of today's American textile industry makes this one of our newest industries as well; one that is attracting companies that desire to operate within the world's most desirable consumer market. In recent years we have seen a trend toward "reshoring" textile manufacturing and jobs. I am pleased to say that I played a small role in helping a new wool fabric-weaving mill open in Connecticut last year. In recent years there has also been investment in yarn spinning capacity in the United States.

However, the American textile industry faces obstacles to achieving full potential growth. According to my client Max Brickle, of the Brickle Group, Woonsocket, Rhode Island, "The problem is poorly educated workforce and [lack of] manufacturing skills." Mr. Brickle believes that workforce-training grants could be a great help. He also stated that our high schools and colleges should do more to direct students toward, and prepare them for, careers in manufacturing.

Don Rongione of Bollman Hat Company in Adamstown, Pennsylvania, echoed the need for grants for training when I recently spoke with him. He also called for grants for machinery purchases. One of Bollman's current projects is reshoring knit hat manufacturing. He believes that high quality manufacturing can be a strategy for America to compete internationally, but that we are limited due to lax enforcement of trading rules. According to Mr. Rongione, "We need government policy to police and penalize trade partners who violate currency and human rights for workers."

America has a very broad industrial base, nevertheless, we don't make everything, and therefore some inputs must be imported. For 30 years, from 1982 to 2012, Congress gave relief to manufacturers by suspending the import duties on products not domestically available. The current 114th Congress is the third Congress in a row to fail to pass a Miscellaneous Tariff Bill ("MTB") to promote American Manufacturing by eliminating tariffs that do not protect any American industry.

American textile manufacturers face additional obstacles, in the form of non-tariff barriers and lack of enforcement of intellectual property rights when they attempt to export their products.

With support in these critical areas of workforce development, trade law enforcement, tariff relief via the MTB, and international enforcement of intellectual property rights, the current trend of reshoring textile manufacturing jobs with continue and expand.

Wonder of Wool: Ancient Fiber to Modern Marvel

The American Textile History Museum in Lowell, Massachusetts is proud to present Wonder of Wool: Ancient Fiber to Modern Marvel, on view May 20 through December 21, 2015.

Wool is one of the most commonly used fibers in the world and easily the most misunderstood. Wonder of Wool: Ancient Fiber to Modern Marvel takes a fascinating look at the significance of sheep and wool in our culture and our everyday lives, shattering myths and giving visitors a new understanding and appreciation of this fabulous fiber. - See more at: http://www.athm.org/museum_exhibition/wonder-of-wool-ancient-fiber-to-modern-marvel/.

"Artist Textiles: Picasso to Warhol" at American Textile History Museum

Artist Textiles: Picasso to Warhol, November 21, 2014 - March 29, 2015, American Textile History Museum, Lowell, Massachusetts.

In its exclusive U.S. debut, Picasso to Warhol traces the history of 20th century art in textiles. Highlights include work by Marc Chagall, Salvador Dalí, Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, and Andy Warhol.

The exhibition features examples of key European and American art movements: Fauvism, Cubism, Constructivism, Abstraction, Surrealism and Pop Art; as well as the work of leading fashion designers and manufacturers. With over 200 rare pieces, Picasso to Warhol shows how ordinary people were once able to engage with modern art in a personal and intimate way through their clothing and home furnishings.

Thursday, December 4, 2014, Opening Event and Curator Talk
5:00pm - 6:30pm public tours of the exhibition.
5:30pm private reception for members and VIP guests.
6:30pm presentation by Picasso to Warhol curators Geoff­rey Rayner and Richard Chamberlain of London's Target Gallery.

American Textile Hall of Fame Inducts Class of 2014

American Textile Hall of Fame Inducts Class of 2014
Weavers’ Guild of Boston, Deborah S. Pulliam honored at Hall of Fame luncheon

At a luncheon on Monday, September 8, the American Textile History Museum ("ATHM") honored two inductees to the American Textile Hall of Fame: the Weavers' Guild of Boston, recognized as the foundation of weaving guilds in the nation, and the late Deborah S. Pulliam, a respected writer, historian, and fiber artist.

The American Textile Hall of Fame was initiated in 2001 by the American Textile History Museum in Lowell to honor individuals, corporations and institutions that have made significant contributions to the textile industry in America, as well as those who have advanced the place, role, and appreciation of textiles in American life. The 2014 Hall of Fame ceremony was held at a luncheon at the University of Massachusetts Lowell Inn and Conference Center in Lowell.

“These leaders and innovators have blazed a path for the industry and the evolution of textiles, as well as advanced the mission and development of the Museum,” said ATHM President and CEO Jonathan Stevens. “The mission of ATHM is telling America’s story through the art, history, and science of textiles, and this year, we honor an organization and an individual who have forwarded that mission in their own right. They are more than worthy of great recognition for these contributions, and we are honored to pay tribute to their achievements.”

Governor Deval Patrick sent a letter congratulating the Museum and the 2014 Hall of Fame honorees: “For more than fifty years, the American Textile History Museum in Lowell, a Smithsonian Institution affiliate, has been a leader in recognizing the region’s influential innovation, creativity, and human spirit on the textile industry … Today, you recognize the Weavers’ Guild of Boston and the late Deborah S. Pulliam. I am proud of their contributions to the Commonwealth and proud to congratulate their representatives on their receipt of this prestigious honor.”

The following inscriptions are on the plaques presented to the honorees:

The Weavers’ Guild of Boston - In celebration of American fiber artists, the Weavers’ Guild of Boston’s induction into the American Textile Hall of Fame recognizes its role as the foundation for weaving guilds across the nation.

Presentation to Weavers' Guild of Boston.

Founded in 1922, the Weavers' Guild of Boston is the oldest – and one of the largest – weavers’ guilds in America. Guild programs educate members and the general public in the study and practice of artistic and technical aspects of handweaving and serve to advance its standards.  The Weavers’ Guild of Boston was an outgrowth of the Arts and Crafts Movement, which spurned the mechanization of manufactured goods rising from the Industrial Revolution and sustained the repertoire of craft, art, skills, and standards of workmanship.

Weaving education and excellence in technique and design have played a major role in the Weavers’ Guild of Boston throughout its history. In 1952, the Ratings Program was established with three levels—Apprentice, Journeyman, and Master—to stimulate and encourage development of skills, expertise, knowledge and scholarship. In 1969, the Guild initiated the Distinguished Achievement Award honoring Guild members who have achieved the Master Weaver rating and who have made a major contribution in the fiber field on a national level. The American Textile History Museum appreciates and recognizes the role Guild members play in promoting the Museum’s mission to tell America’s story through the art, history, and science of textiles.

Deborah S. Pulliam -- Deborah S. Pulliam was a prolific writer, historian, and fiber artist, applying her many talents to the study and practice of textiles, arts, and hand-crafted works. At a critical point in ATHM’s history, she provided inspiration and a donor challenge to help preserve the vibrant history of and establish a more secure future for the Museum.

Susan Dunham Accepting the Honor on Behalf of the Family of Deborah Pulliam

Born in Indianapolis on June 2, 1952, Ms. Pulliam earned a degree in anthropology at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA. Upon graduation, she carried on her family’s tradition in the newspaper business, including serving as editor of the Castine Patriot in the small town of Castine, Maine, where she made her home. Her writing career was inspired by her family: her father, Eugene S. Pulliam, and her grandparents, Eugene C. Pulliam and Martha Ott Pulliam, all accomplished newspaper publishers.

Ms. Pulliam, who had a passion for a natural and simple life, applied her talents to the practice and study of textiles, arts, and hand-crafted works. She wrote numerous articles for the publications Spin-Off, Interweave Knits, and PieceWork. Active in the Textile Society of America and the Costume Society of America, she led workshops on textiles and spinning. She was a historian and scholar, committed to the collection and recording of traditional textile patterns and knowledge to provide substantive resources for future artists.

Deborah Pulliam, who passed away on May 22, 2007, was a modest, rigorous, generous, and down-to-earth person who was disciplined in her pursuit of knowledge and skills. She was a quiet benefactress to causes and needs in her community and her legacy lives on in the organizations that were close to her heart, including the American Textile History Museum.  

About the American Textile History Museum -- An affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, the American Textile History Museum tells America’s story through the art, history, and science of textiles. In addition to its core exhibition and rotating special exhibitions, ATHM holds the world’s largest and most important publicly held collections of tools, spinning wheels, hand looms, and early production machines; more than five million pieces of textile prints, fabric samples, rolled textiles coverlets, and costumes; and the renowned Osborne Library. www.athm.org.

American Textile Hall of Fame

On Monday, September 8, the American Textile History Museum, in Lowell, Massachusetts, will induct the 2014 class into the American Textile Hall of Fame. The Museum will honor two inductees: the late Deborah S. Pulliam - a writer, historian, and fiber artist - and the Weavers' Guild of Boston, recognized as the foundation of weaving guilds in the nation. The American Textile Hall of Fame honors leaders in the textile field who have contributed to advancing the art, science or history of textiles in America.

The induction event will include a tour of the Museum at 10:00 a.m. followed by a luncheon and induction ceremony at the UMass Lowell Inn & Conference Center at noon. Individual tickets to the luncheon and tour can be purchased online. For information about sponsorship opportunities, please contact Maura Ryan at mryan@athm.org or (978) 441-0400 x247.

ATHM Reception in New York City

ATHM will be hosting a reception at the New-York Historical Society on Monday, June 9, 2 p.m. - 4 p.m., celebrating ATHM's critically acclaimed 2012 traveling exhibition, Homefront & Battlefield: Quilts & Context in the Civil War, which is currently on view at the New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West in New York City.

Celebrating the 150th anniversary of the American Civil War, Homefront & Battlefield uses quilts, textiles, clothing, and other artifacts to connect deeply moving and insightful personal stories about the war, its causes, and its aftermath with the broader national context and public history. Read the New York Times review of the exhibition.

Please RSVP to Sally Gould at sgould@athm.org or 978.441.0400 x241 if you would like to attend the New York reception.

American Textile History Museum Receives $1 Million Gift

The American Textile History Museum, located in Lowell, Massachusetts, recently announced that it has received a $1 Million gift from the estate of G. Gordon and Marjorie Osborn, longtime friends and supporters of the Museum.

Mrs. Osborne passed away in April 2013 at the age of 103. She was the widow of textile industrialist G. Gordon Osborne, the former President of Warwick Mills and member of the ATHM Board of Trustees, who died in 2000.

“Gordon and Marjorie Osborne contributed significantly to this Museum’s success through the years, and it is a great honor to be remembered in their estate plans,” said Jonathan Stevens, ATHM President and CEO. “This generous bequest will be used to further the legacy of this wonderful couple, supporting ATHM as a world-class museum that preserves, protects and interprets the rich textile history of our country.”

Born in India and raised in Canada and the U.S., Gordon Osborne earned a B.S. from Lowell Technological Institute and a M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina, followed by an economics fellowship at Harvard. A textile pioneer who played an important role in the development and the history of the US textile industry, his extraordinary career in textile manufacturing spanned over six decades and a wide range of diverse textile applications and processes.

Mr. Osborne died in 2000 at the age of 93 and was posthumously inducted into the American Textile Hall of Fame in 2008. Marjorie Osborne was born January 23, 1910, in Malden and enjoyed painting, as well as designing jewelry, silver, and clocks. She was a student of seascape artist Jay Hall Connaway and an avid collector of his paintings.

Karl Spilhaus, a longtime friend and colleague of the Osbornes and President of the ATHM Board of Trustees, said that helping to ensure the Museum’s future success was very important to the couple.

“Gordon and Marjorie shared a great love of art and textiles, and the American Textile History Museum held a special place in their hearts,” said Mr. Spilhaus, who is President of the Cashmere and Camel Hair Manufacturers Institute. “It was important to both of them to leave behind a legacy at this wonderful museum that preserves and protects our history and has enriched their lives and the lives of so many others.”

The Osborne Library, named in honor of Gordon and Marjorie Osborne, is a private research library containing a rich and comprehensive collection of printed, pictorial and manuscript material of interest to researchers in a variety of fields. The collections include more than 90,000 books, pamphlets, government documents, postcards, trade literature, images, periodicals and business records that record the history of textile production in the United States.

The Museum welcomes support for ATHM’s future through bequests to the Museum in a will, trust, or other estate plans. Estate gifts support the Museum’s endowment, which continues to grow as they support Museum operations annually with a portion of the income generated.

Great Holiday Gifts at the Museum Shop

Still looking for some unique gifts this holiday season? The American Textile History Museum's Shop has a wonderful selection of handmade items from local artists, including:

Felted items, including Merino Wool scarves by a local artist, natural soap, juggling balls, and bracelets

Alpaca scarves for men and women that were spun and woven in Stow, Mass.

Hand-woven purses made from recycled videotapes and cotton yarn by individuals with disabilities in Lawrence, MA through the Social Catalysts Charitable Foundations.

Hand-designed textile holiday cards from an artist in Cambridge, Mass.

For more information CLICK HERE

American Textile Hall of Fame

On Monday, September 9, 2013, J. Dukes Wooters, Jr., creator and founder of Cotton Incorporated, will be inducted in the American Textile Hall of Fame at the American Textile History Musuem in Lowell, Massachusetts.

American Textile Hall of Fame

On Monday, September 9, 2013, J. Dukes Wooters, Jr., creator and founder of Cotton Incorporated, will be inducted in the American Textile Hall of Fame at the American Textile History Musuem in Lowell, Massachusetts.

Textile Museum Wins Publishing Award

The American Textile History Museum ("ATHM") is proud to announce that Homefront & Battlefield: Quilts & Context in the Civil War has won a bronze medal in the 2013 Independent Publisher Book Awards for the U.S. History category. The book was published by ATHM in conjunction with its traveling exhibition of the same name. The "IPPY" Awards are conducted each year to honor the year's best independently published books. For more information on the American Textile History Museum, see the website www.athm.org.