Felt Books თექის წიგნები

Miriam Schaer. Artist and Educator. Fulbright Artist and Scholar. Teaching artist books, researching felt, in the Telavi & Alvani, Republic of Georgia, spring 2017.

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Rooms of my own. Last week I got an apartment (shown here) and a classroom in Alvani. And while some things are falling in place, some things may be changing. More soon.

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Whirlwind in Tbilisi, Part 4. Saturday-my last day in this whirlwind trip in Tbilisi. My AirBnB hosts went above and beyond, helping me get my art supply laden luggage down the stairs, and then drove me over to the my appointment with Dr. Irina Koshoridze, Director, State Museum of Folks and Applied Arts of Georgia (she is also a Professor at Tbilisi State University.) It was a lovely visit. Irina told me she was a Fulbright Scholar in New York at NYU for Museum Studies. The Folk Arts Museum is a rare jewel. A former home in the center of Old Tbilisi, it has only been a two years in this location. It needs to be on everyone’s must visit list. The current exhibition is of blue printed tablecloths-part of a long tradition in Georgia (the word for table cloth is Supra-the same word for the classic Georgian feast.) The museum is extraordinary-with beautiful Georgian rugs, ceramics and metal work and paintings.

The taxi guy I thought had been lined up, never materialized. Fortunately a gentleman from the Folk Art Museum came with me to Isani, where cars and Marshutkas (mini vans) hang out and take passengers to various destination. He helped me to find a taxi. The process is a raucous ritual. How it works: car drivers yell out for riders going to their destinations. Once you find a car that is going where you want to be, you sit in the car and wait for every seat to be filled before getting on the road. We headed back to Telavi, a quiet uneventful ride –which is to say, nobody vomited-a frequent occurrence on the twisty roads. Nobody spoke, occasionally someone’s phone would ring. The driver had the radio on low, but cranked the volume when Gloria Gaynor magically came thru the airwaves.

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Whirlwind in Tbilisi, 3.2 I was seriously beat-but knew I’d never forgive myself if I didn’t get over to the opening celebration for the Women of Georgia Book Party and opening at the Zurab Tsereteli Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). It was great to see so many people there I knew. It was mobbed! Definitely the place to be!

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Whirwind in Tbilisi-Part 3.1 If it’s Friday-it’s art supply shopping day! This is the primary reason I came into Tbilisi, as art supplies are limited in Telavi. Having Ia Bakhtadze as my art supply shopping advisor, was the only reason I was able to accomplish so much. We crisscrossed Tbilisi in search of our art supply quest. Starting at Orgservice in Marjanishvili Square–but after of course some coffee-for me and tea for Ia at Entree Cafe. Orgservice is the official representative of Kooh-I-Noor, and it would be instantly familiar to any one who has ever been in an art supply store.

Then we were off to Premieri (also known as the Balu Shop) in the GTC Mall (which I guess stands for Georgian Trade Center, but cannot confirm that), which has a large variety of art and craft supplies. There I got some awls and some cord. Cutting mats. Basics.

We scoured the little nameless notions shops in the underpass for cord and needles. Each tiny shop was like a rush hour subway car. I brought some 18 linen thread with me-which is good as no one had a thick enough thread for the books we are going to make. Seeing these shops induced a nostalgic mash up for me of the old Canal street and 36th Street/6th Avenue Bead District in Manhattan-the street of notions, beads and trim. We stopped for a quick lunch at a no-name cafe, had sulguni cheese filled mushrooms, Georgian corn bread or Mchadi, and Tarkhuna-a tarragon flavored soda the color of battery acid, with a sort of soapy, flowery taste. I confess, I kind of like it (I think Tarhuna is a love it or hate it affair)

Our last shopping stop was Dekori- far from the center, but apparently not too far from the US Embassy. Dekori has two sides: as you walk in the door-to the left is sort of like Staples, with packaged paper, rubber bands, clips, glue sticks. Turn to your right from the entrance and this is where all the book publishers get their materials-binder board, book cloth, PVA -white book binders glue (well-PVA like). I definitely bought too much-as I typically do…Ia was a total star-she helped me get everything up to my little Air BnB, no small feat. We quartered the boards to fit into my suitcase.

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Whirwind in Tbilisi-Part 2. In between meetings and appointments I met fellow Fulbrigher Caitlin McCulloch, who is doing her Poly Sci Ph.D research in Tbilisi. We tried to go to Kiwi Café, which should have been open –according to the website-but in classic fashion, it was not. So we went to the charming Amo Rame,and talked about life in academia, life in Tbilisi, life in Georgia. Caitlin was a Peace Corps Volunteer, in Georgia, and advised me on how to navigate the sometimes choppy landscape here with her suave attitude and excellent Georgian.

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Whirwind in Tbilisi-Part 1. Wednesday was, I am sure you know, National Women’s Day. In the Republic of Georgia, this is a serious holiday-all the schools were closed, so I didn’t have class. I decided, as I needed to go art supply shopping in Tbilisi, I would try to get to Tbilisi early so I could attend the opening of the National Library of the Parliament of Georgia the first reading room named after a woman. Barbare Jorjadze’s Room named to honor the first Georgian feminist and female writer of the 19th century. My friends Ida Bakhturidze and Nana Pantsulaia and (both spoke at the proceedings) have been involved with this project along with so many others! It was great to see so many familiar face and be so warmly welcomed!

You can see UNDP’s post on the Reading Room here

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My first teaching day in Alvani went pretty well. I did try to speak/teach in Georgian. While it was truly painful, everyone was super patient, generous and some people who spoke a little English, and understood more, helped to convey my ideas to the group. Using Google translate (far from great) downloaded to my phone, gave me missing words. And-as I teach in a show and tell way, people were able to follow. So I demo’d and then had students make the structures I had shown them. I seemed to have used all the paper in the school, so after class, I photo copied some documents- and handouts-including my glossary of book binding/book arts Ia Bakhtadze so generously translated, and brought a ream of paper for prototypes in the downtown for class on Tuesday.

We made some simple, one page structures and then I set out the artist books that I carried with me in my luggage (more are coming, by way of the diplomatic pouch-hopefully soon!) And as always-seeing and handling artist books is the best way to convey their power. You have to hold them-interact with them. This is the power of a teaching collection.

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A rainy foggy Monday in Telavi, I got ready to meet Nugzari. We first went to Telavi State University-I was able meet the administration and faculty. Maia Gigauri, Department Head of Professional Programs, Nino Parsadanishvili, the Department Secretary and Elene Dzamiashvili, faculty member who served as a translator. I was able to speak a bit, which was great, and I know everyone appreciated that.

And I was able to clarify a great deal: I was relieved to find out that I will have a translator beginning next week. I also found out that I will be working in Alvani until the end of May, then I’ll be back at the University, when the Professional Felt Program resumes. One interesting bit of news: the University has always been focused-as the Community College Technikon-on graphic arts, felt making, interior design. Maia told me there is now an interest in developing a Fine Arts department.

I also was able to clarify that the Book Arts Collection that I have been building, will be part of Telavi State University. It is my great hope that students from the Alvani Community College will add to the collection as we learn more about books.

We had a coffee break, Elena took a great selfie-portrait of us all,  and then Nugzari and I headed to Alvani

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Some of the studios and work from students at LEPL Community College AISI, in Telavi. From top to bottom: felted grape arbor(!) the ceramic studios, felt wall pieces inspired by beloved Georgian painter Niko Pirosmani, along side nabadis–Caucasian cloaks worn traditionally by men. I’ve seen nabadis referred to as a ‘burka’ and also worn by the military (according to wikipedia) but am not sure this is really correct. However, I remember my Georgian friends telling me nabadis were worn by shepherds to keep warm while watching their flocks in the cold mountain winters.

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I reached Nugzari Dzamukashvili, when I got to Tbilisi, but we didn’t really meet up until I got to Telavi, several days later. My Georgian is at toddler level and Nugzari’s English is non-existent (he understands some English) We have been able to communicate a bit.  Kaitlin Cunningham, fellow Fulbrighter, who has kindly welcomed me to stay with her until my housing gets sorted out, speaks fluent Russian, which was great. A number of people here do speak Russian, many my age, who lived thru the soviet times. Well, it turns out there are no students in the program at Telavi State University where I proposed to be teaching, as they graduated in February. When Nugzari said I’d be teaching in Alvani, at LEPL Community College AISI, I was concerned. But I should not have been. We went yesterday, and the school is new and beautiful. I toured the school, met students and faculty, learned they have studio classes in ceramics, felt, and interior design. I was very proud of myself for communicating-even a bit in my less than baby Georgian-enough to clarify things-we got the teaching schedule down, I’m teaching 3 days a week, I’ll have 15 students (there are 30 or so students in the entire college). This will, I hope include time in the felt studio for me-so I can begin to learn more about felt and the process.

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Jetlagged inTbilsi. I left JFK on Friday February 24, and got to Tbilisi on Sunday after a brutal 14 hour layover in Munich. I stayed at Hotel Tflis, a basic hotel, with a great staff, right off Marjanishvili Square. It’s great neighborhood and location. I only barely explored, as I knew I only would be there a day- leaving Tuesday for Telavi. And of course, there were meetings-both formal and informal. I did get a Magti sim card (Georgian phone) and opened a bank account-so stuff was taken care of. During my small, short walks, I noticed more American fast food outlets (Subway, Wendy’s, Duncan Donuts) than I remember from when I was in Georgia in 2013. As I walked around, it was also astonishing to me, that I was be able to read the signage-although not always understanding what is what. Some images from the neighborhood (yes, the word in the burger says ‘burger’)  More to come as things get sorted out in Telavi. Stay tuned!