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Opening Reception: Afghan War Rugs

War Rug with Map of Afghanistan_71.75 x 45.25 inches
War Rug with Map of Afghanistan, knotted wool, 71.75 x 45.25 inches

Thursday, Aug. 29, 2019

Event Details

South Dakota Art Museum is hosting a free public artists reception to celebrateAfghan War Rugs: The Modern Art of Central Asia which opens Aug. 23 and runs through Nov. 24. Light refreshments and hors d'oeuvres will be served from 5- 7 p.m. A curator talk begins at 5:45 p.m.

Co-curated by Annemarie Sawkins and Enrico Mascelloni, "Afghan War Rugs: The Modern Art of Central Asia" brings to the United States one of the most distinct collections of Afghan war rugs in the world. War rugs are a unique product of Afghanistan and its rich, albeit bellicose, history. Weavers abandoned traditional nonfigurative styles and revolutionized an ancient craft, producing knotted rugs with rich pictorial images of maps, weapons, and portraits of kings, khans and military leaders. 

Event Audience

Public includes SDSU Faculty/Staff/Students SDSU Faculty/Staff SDSU Students

Parking Information

Parking is available without a pass in the Museum's reserved parking just west of the Museum on Harvey Dunn Street (in front of Scobey Hall) and in University lots after 4:00 p.m. Parking is also available on the street on Harvey Dunn Street. Handicapped parking is available on the north side of Harvey Dunn St. just west of Medary Ave. and in the Art Museum parking lot.

Afghan War Rugs exhibition