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Home > Research > Publications > Annual Reports > 1996-97 Annual Report

The Museum Suq

1996-97 ANNUAL REPORT

Denise Browning

The biggest event this year for the Suq was the Rug Symposium held in October. We had five excellent speakers and we were the first to use the new video system in Breasted Hall. From the Oriental Institute we had Professor Robert Biggs talking on Turkoman rugs and John Sanders sharing his love of Baluchi rugs. Susan Gomersall spoke on Nomadic flat weaves, Maury Bynam demonstrated the art of rug repair, and Roger Hilpp, noted Chicago collector, shared some of his pieces and did some appraising. This was all augmented by the wonderful video series Oriental Rugs et al., which appeared on many PBS stations across the country. The lobby was piled high with colorful kilims, flat weaves, and pile rugs from such places as Afghanistan, Central Asia, Egypt, Iran, Morocco, and Turkey. The symposium was well attended and we sold seventy-two rugs.

With the help of the sales from the rug symposium and the Internet our net sales were down this year less than 1%. We are very proud of this performance, considering that the Museum was closed the entire year. Our success is due to the loyal members of the Oriental Institute and our wonderfully dedicated volunteers, who not only made the sales but consoled and informed the visitors who unfortunately did not know the Museum was closed.

We were all saddened by the death of Inger Kirsten, longtime docent and friend. She was a very special person and is truly missed. In the summer she used to bring flowers from her beautiful garden to liven up the Suq.

Special thanks go to those who volunteered at the Newberry Very Merry Bazaar this year, Jane Belcher, Denise Paul, Agnethe Rattenborg, Margaret Schröeder, Paul Spruhan, Natalia Uribe, and Norma van der Meulen; to Paul Spruhan who emceed the Rug Symposium; to Christine Chen and Natalia Uribe for all of their hard work at the Romancing the Past silent auction; to Jane Thain who opened up her home for our delightful docent luncheon this year; to Florence Ovadia who does our wonderful displays every Monday; and to Georgie Maynard who restocks our books.

The office staff consisted of Aysha Haq, who manages all of the mail and Internet orders, and Christine Chen, our merchandise manager.

Docents-Loyal Regulars

Barbara Baird, Agnethe Rattenborg

Muriel Brauer, Rochelle Rossin

Patty Dunkel, Mary Schulman

Barbara Frey, Jane Thain

Ruth Hyman, Norma van der Meulen

Peggy Kovacs

Docents-Loyal Extras

Peggy Grant, Janet Helman, Jane Hildebrand, Jo Jackson, Mardi Trossman

Docents Behind-the-Scenes

Georgie Maynard

Jewelry Designer

Norma van der Meulen

Revised: July 30, 2007

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