Third International Shibori Symposium

The Committee of the ISS 99 Chile, and the World Shibori Network (WSN) are pleased to announce that the Third International Shibori Symposium, held in Santiago, Chile, South America, was a great success!

The Third International Shibori Symposium (ISS) in Santiago, Chile (Nov. 2-6, 1999) was held at the National Museum of Fine Art (Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes--MNBA). The first international gathering of textile artists and scholars in South America. in the category of "ISS Partnership" to support our effort to organize the international gathering in South America. The conference organized by the ISS Committee in Chile and World Shibori Network (WSN) encompassed a wide range of interests and expertise in the field of shibori/amarras. The main theme was Amarras: Pre-Columbian shibori, as well as exploring the current explosion of creative work bridging between technology/science and creativity/innovation.


This pictures shows the opening of the 3rd ISS in Santiago, Chile at the National Museum of Fine Art. Director of the Museum (Museum Nacional de Bellas Artes, Noviembre, 1999) Mr. Milan Ivelic is at the podium.

The ISS Committee and World Shibori Network (WSN) collaborated with NABA, the Catholic University in Santiago (Universidad Catolica), DUOC University and the Pre-Columbian Art Museum of Chile (Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino) and organized workshops and exhibitions.

A conference of this magnitude has never been organized and carried out by a grass roots organization in Chile before. The economical, social and cultural climate in Chile for textile art seemed recently depressed largely due to the economic difficulty that South American and Asian countries are experiencing lately. Furthermore, the art of shibori/amarras has never been explored extensively in South America except among a small group of dedicated artists (including Inge Dusi) in Chile.

There were around 300 participants and volunteers from 20 countries around the world. The members of the ISS Committee in Chile and artists and scholars who participated in it gained such credibility and respect for the effort we made.

We are enclosing most of the published materials relating to the ISS '99 including the conference program and invitations to openings and events for the exhibitions at the National Museum of Fine Art (MNBA), Chilean Museum of Pre-Columbian Art (MChPA), Chile-North America Institute and a fashion show which was underwritten by Ya magazine. There have been generous support from the Japan Foundation Exhibition Abroad grant, the City of Nagoya, and World shibori Network (WSN). Many other ogranizations who gave support are acknowledged in various printed materials relating to ISS.

Dinner reception for the organizing committee members and the presenters of symposium program and exhibitions. It was held at a restaurant in Santiago called Balthazar.

The picture on the left shows Ms. Martha Cajías from Bolivia facing, right foreground is Mr. Yoshitaka Tsuge of WSN in charge of Publicity and Documentation, from Nagoya , Japan; Right of Martha are the symposiium
Co-Chars, Yoshiko I. Wada (USA) and Inge Dusi (Chile amd Intaly).

Besides the published conference related materials, the ISS Committee has initially promised to send a copy of the ISS catalogue and the participants' roster. Now we are happy to offer a copy of the exhibition catalogue in Spanish from the first historical amarras show at the MChPA, accompanied by the English translation contributed by ...... & Karen Brito. Please contact the WSN Office Abroad (Y. I. Wada).

WSN is in the process of completing and updating its website and would like the site to be financially self sufficient and to be serving its members' needs and provide a unique tool to network shibori enthusiasts and practitioners.