Mission Statement

Building a foundation of anti-racism and a culture of care, the mission of the Textile Society of America is to foster an international collective community—diverse, equitable, inclusive and accessible—for the exchange and dissemination of knowledges and experiences about textiles worldwide.

About TSA

Founded in 1987, the Textile Society of America is a United States 501(c)3 nonprofit that provides an international forum for the exchange and dissemination of textile knowledge from artistic, cultural, economic, historic, political, social, scientific, and technical perspectives. Our 800 members worldwide include curators and conservators, scholars and educators, artists, designers, makers, conservators, scientists, collectors, and others interested in fiber and textiles. Established in 1987, TSA is governed by an international Board of Directors. TSA organizes biennial symposia. The juried papers presented at each symposium are published in Proceedings. It also distributes a membership directory and TSA News online.

Our Focus on Diversity

Vision Statement

The Textile Society of America, an international organization, recognizes the profound global reach of textiles. We are committed to developing leadership initiatives, membership, and programming rooted in the plurality of textile histories, producers, and purposes. With an eye toward expanding our voices and audience, we will focus on inclusion of underrepresented groups, and advocacy for robust diversity of our personal and professional viewpoints.

Our aim is to be a truly inclusive organization with those involved in it to be as diverse as the textile communities that are served. This is fundamental to the future success of TSA and our ability to contribute to culture and society in the USA and internationally. The range of perspectives and experience diversity brings is an asset to our organization and we want to create an inclusive, welcoming environment for all those who work with us, attend our events, conferences, and workshops, and those who contribute to our journal and publications. We particularly encourage people from all groups currently under-represented in the cultural sector and in public discourse about textiles, social identities, and the creative process to be part of TSA’s future. While recognizing that forms of English have predominated in our organization, we foster and promote dialogue about textiles enriched by diverse languages and ways of thinking about the world, and seek to create or connect with forums in other local, regional, or global languages.

We are developing programs to support our efforts as stated above. Please reach out us at info@textilesociety.org to find out how you can become involved.