Royal Ontario Museum

The ROM’s Fashion and Textiles Section hosted eight of the world’s leading authorities on Indian painted and printed cottons (aka “Indian chintz”). Coming from institutions in the United Kingdom, the U.S., and Vancouver, the experts included Rosemary Crill, Steven Cohen, Eiluned Edwards, Ruth Barnes, Sylvia Houghteling, Rajarshi Sengupta, Jeevak and Banoo Parpia. Over several days, the group -- together with ROM curators Deepali Dewan, Deb Metsger, Sarah Fee, Anu Liivandi and Alexandra Palmer, and conservators Chris Paulocik and Anne Marie Guchardi – collectively studied over 90 pieces of Indian painted and printed cottons from the ROM’s renowned collection for the forthcoming ROM-original exhibit (April-September 2020) The Cloth that Changed the World, and the catalogue by the same name, which will include chapters by all the participants.