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Past Events at The Magic Carpet
Saturday, November 2, 2013
RUG APPRAISAL DAY, PRESENTATION & BEST OF THE WORLD RUG EXHIBIT
We are excited to invite you to a special event at the Magic Carpet: Rug Appraisal Day and the Best of the World Rug Exhibit. Our certified rug appraiser Paul Jorgensen will give an informative presentation at 7:00 pm, "Appraising Oriental Rugs", an educational journey into this remarkable art form, followed by a tour of our unique exhibit.
To start the day off, between 2:30 pm and 5:30 pm, take advantage of a rare opportunity to get a free verbal Oriental rug appraisal - call early to reserve your spot (530) 265-9229.
Saturday, Nov. 6th, 2010
The Barakat Story... Transforming Communities
Please join us on Saturday, November 6th at 7PM to celebrate 30 incredible years providing magic carpets to the world! It gives us great pleasure to have as our guest speakers Chris Walter, the cofounder, and Arti Pandey, the Program Director of Barakat. Together they will present an educational lecture and slide show focusing on The Barakat Story… Transforming Communities. Barakat is an organization whose mission is to improve the well-being of the carpet weaving communities and other marginalized groups in Southern and Central Asia by increasing access to quality education, health care and human rights programs.
The Barakat story began in 1987 with the founding of the Ersari Turkoman weaving project in Pakistan. This revolutionary rug revival project reintroduced the forgotten skills and techniques of using vegetable dyes in carpet production. Gradually through Chris' creative vision, hundreds of carpet designs, each with a magnificent palette of vegetable dyes, have been woven in Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. Many of these will be featured in our new exhibit. These extraordinary rugs have been one of the primary funding sources for the Barakat projects which now include 7 schools and 31 literacy programs.
In celebration of our supportive community over the last 30 years, we will be donating 10% of our first week's sales to Barakat. Take advantage of this unique opportunity to transform your home or office while supporting this important undertaking.
| Travelogue, Lecture and Refreshments: The Barakat Story... Transforming Communities Rug Exhibit: 30 Magical Years – Flying with Beauty, Integrity and Durability |
Saturday, May 7th, 2011 at 7PM at The Magic Carpet |
Saturday, May 8th, 2010
Durable Beauty – Woven Reflections of Nature
Please join us in celebrating 30 remarkable years of providing magic carpets to our community! It has been a pleasure to serve all of you who have made our business so successful while supporting cultural survival weaving projects worldwide whose rugs are renowned for their durability and vegetable dyes.
We invite you to join us on Saturday, May 8th at 7PM for a rich cultural evening and the opening of our newest rug exhibit: Durable Beauty – Woven Reflections of Nature. Our exhibit will feature over 50 extraordinary rugs, that literally shine with the soul of the people who wove them. We are excited to be offering an evening of inspiring music and dance and a discussion of the cultural richness of the people who have woven these exquisite works of art.
| Exhibit: Durable Beauty – Woven Reflections of Nature Music and Dance performance featuring NICOLE TRISTANI AND THE EVERGREEN MIDDLE EASTERN ENSEMBLE Performance, Show and Refreshments |
Saturday, May 8th, 2010 at 7PM at The Magic Carpet |
Saturday, November 14, 2009
EXPRESSION THROUGH SYMBOLS IN ORIENTAL RUGS
Please join us on Saturday, November 14, 2009 at 7PM for a very special exhibit, lecture and slide show “Expression Through Symbols in Oriental Rugs.” We will ride The Magic Carpet from the Gods of the Himalayas to the 2500 year old Scythian Pazyryk rug of Siberia exploring early symbols of tribal rugs and how they expressed cultural values. Then into the courts of Persia and onto Turkey and the DOBAG project that revitalized hand carding, spinning and vegetable dyeing in carpets. We continue our photo journey through the Cultural Survival projects of Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, Tibet and India where extraordinary rugs are again being woven. These rugs based on this ancient lineage carry the integrity, quality and character to be called the antiques of the future.
In this modern age, it gives us great pleasure to be offering our community beautiful, durable and natural art underfoot that honors and supports the weavers and their communities. A portion of the proceeds of this show and sale will go to continuing our support of the Solutions Benefiting Life water filter project and also the Barakat project.
Take advantage of this opportunity to transform your home with art underfoot – a green investment that will last a life time!
| Exhibit: EXPRESSION THROUGH SYMBOLS IN ORIENTAL RUGS Educational Lecture, Exhibit and Slide Show |
Saturday, November 14, 2009 at 7PM at The Magic Carpet |
Friday, May 1, 2009
MAGIC CARPETS - INTEGRITY, DURABILITY, BEAUTY
Please join us for the opening of our new exhibit titled, Magic Carpets - Integrity, Durability, Beauty. During this evening we will pursue a magnificent collection of antique classical and village rugs which portray the enduring genius of the weaver’s use of color and design through the ages. This will lead us to the present day Cultural Survival rugs which are continuing this ancient lineage using vegetable dyes, hand-spun and hand-carded wool - the antiques of the future. We will also be giving a short update on the progress of the Cultural Survival rug weaving projects and the Solutions Benefiting Life water project.
In appreciation of our supportive community over the last 29 years, we will be donating a percentage of the profits of this sale to two great local service organizations -The Food Bank and Hospitality House.
Take advantage of this opportunity to transform your home with art underfoot – a green investment that will last a life time!
| Exhibit: MAGIC CARPETS - INTEGRITY, DURABILITY, BEAUTY Educational Lecture, Exhibit and Refreshments |
Friday, May 1, 2009 at 7 PM at The Magic Carpet |
Saturday, May 3rd 2008
ART UNDERFOOT: COMMUNITIES WOVEN TOGETHER
Please join us on Saturday, November 8th at 7 PM for another special rug exhibit, lecture and multi media travelogue… Art Underfoot: Communities Woven Together. We will be presenting a slide show and exhibit focusing on the people and cultures of Tibet, Nepal, India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. These unique photos create an intimate experience with the weavers and the natural environment of the Cultural Survival Rug Weaving Projects. Our exhibit will feature a stunning collection of some of the finest Cultural Survival Rugs which are made with hand carded, hand spun wool and dyed with a magnificent palette of vegetable dyes.
Included in this presentation are current photos of the critically important and successful water filter project. This project was launched in the rug weaving communities of Nepal and India and most recently Afghanistan and is gradually being transformed into micro businesses.
A portion of the proceeds of this show and sale will go toward supporting these fantastic projects. We are especially appreciative that a major focus has been on woman’s empowerment through literacy, health and education.
| Exhibit: ART UNDERFOOT: COMMUNITIES WOVEN TOGETHER Travelogue, Educational Lecture, Exhibit and Refreshments |
Saturday November 8th, 2008 at 7PM at the
Magic Carpet |
Saturday, May 3rd 2008
THE PAZYRYK TO MODERN MASTERPIECES
Dear Oriental Rug Lovers,
Please join us on Saturday, May 3rd at 7PM for an educational lecture and the opening of our new exhibit, "Magic Carpets: The Pazyryk to Modern Masterpieces."
During this evening we will go back 2500 years and explore the culture of the Scythians who are believed to have woven the oldest rug in existence, the Pazyryk, which is now in the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
We will then peruse a magnificent collection of antique classical oriental rugs and antique village oriental rugs which portray the enduring genius of the weaver's use of color and design through the ages. This will lead us to the present day Cultural Survival Rugs which are based on this ancient lineage and literally sparkle because of the integrity, quality and character with which they were woven. All of these extraordinary rugs can be accessed on our web site www.themagiccarpet.biz.
The Magic Carpet will be donating a percentage of the profits from this sale to the Solutions Benefiting Life water filter project to begin a production center in South India. We will also be selling an exquisite collection of late 20th century Navajo, Zuni and Hopi jewelry with the proceeds being generously donated to fund this water project.
We look forward to sharing this journey with you!
| Exhibit: MAGIC CARPETS: THE PAZYRYK TO MODERN MASTERPIECES Educational Lecture, Exhibit and Refreshments |
Saturday, May 3rd, 2008 at 7PM at the Magic Carpet |
Saturday, November 3rd 2007
OUR FAMILIES PILGRIMAGE INTO THE HEART OF INDIA
Dear Oriental Rug Lovers,
Please join us on Saturday, November 3rd at 7 PM for a most unique rug exhibit and multi media travelogue titled, Our Families Pilgrimage Into the Heart of India.
We will be sharing photos from our families' recent extraordinary journey that led us to the ancient city of Rishikesh on the banks of the Mother Ganges and then to the sacred temple of Badrinath which is nestled within the towering Himalayan Ranges. We trekked on into the incredible Valley of the Flowers which was bursting forth with multitudes of gorgeous blossoms. Leaving the Himalayas, we headed south to Sathya Sai Baba's Ashram where we deepened our inner experiences. We look forward to sharing this journey with you!
In our rug exhibit, we will feature the beautiful and durable rugs made by the Zamin Project located in Northern India. This project only uses the best long-staple New Zealand wool that has been hand-carded, hand-spun and vegetable dyed - befitting the name 'Zamin' which mean earth. We will also be featuring exquisite Afghan Barakat cultural survival rugs.
Also in this exhibit, we will be displaying museum-quality ceremonial and dowry embroideries of Gujarat, India. It is our intention that this exhibit reflect India's soul-inspired creative genius.
As many of you know, India has just experienced a devastating monsoon season that has seriously polluted their drinking water. To help alleviate this condition, we will be donating and raising money towards the expansion of the Solutions Benefiting Life's water-filter project into these effected areas.
We look forward to sharing this journey with you!
| Travelogue: OUR FAMILIES PILGRIMAGE INTO THE HEART OF INDIA Exhibit: FLOWERS FROM THE EAST - CARPETS AND TEXTILES |
Saturday, November 3rd, 2007 at 7PM at the Magic Carpet |
Saturday, May 12th 2007
A JOURNEY - NATURE, WEAVERS AND THE CARPETS
Dear Oriental Rug Lovers,
Please join us on Saturday, May 12th at 7PM for another special rug exhibit and multimedia travelogue: A Journey- Nature, Weavers and The Carpets. This presentation will feature photos from Tibet, Nepal, India and recent images of northern Afghanistan.
We will also show current photos of the successful water filter projects of Nepal and India that we have been supporting.
Our exhibit will feature a collection of some of the finest Cultural Survival rugs woven in Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and Nepal. All of these rugs are made with hand-carded, hand-spun wools and colored with a magnificent palette of vegetable dyes.
| Exhibit: A JOURNEY - NATURE, WEAVERS AND THE CARPETS Video travelogue, Educational Lecture, Exhibit and Refreshments |
Saturday, May 12th, 2007 at 7PM at the Magic Carpet |
Saturday Nov 4th, 2006
WOVEN GARDENS: NEW AND ANTIQUE VILLAGE RUGS
Dear Oriental Rug Lovers,
Please join us on Saturday, November 4th at 6:30 in our expanded Magic Carpet
Gallery for a unique cultural evening that includes an exhibit and lecture,
Woven Gardens - New and Antique Village Rugs. We will also view
excerpts from a remarkable documentary portraying the migration of the
Bhaktiari people of Iran with their 50,000 animals to their summer pasture.
This incredible journey across raging rivers and the rugged Zagros Mountains
reveals the spirit of community, the endurance and integrity, inherent in
these people. These distinctive characteristics are wonderfully reflected
in our current exhibit of
antique to
present day village masterpieces.
We have just returned from an extensive buying trip where we handpicked a magnificent collection, mats to room size, of cultural survival rugs from Nepal, India, Pakistan and Afghanistan as well as stunning antique Persian and Caucasian rugs. All these rugs use only the finest hand-carded and hand-spun wools with a magnificent palette of vegetable dyes and 100% of the wholesale profits benefit the weaving communities.
We are also pleased to announce that we have recently updated our web site with photos of our current collection. You can now peruse our educational material and purchase from our on-line gallery of rugs, statues and textiles.
| Exhibit: WOVEN GARDENS: NEW AND ANTIQUE VILLAGE RUGS Educational Lecture and Documentary Showing - "People of the Wind" |
Saturday, Nov 4, 2006 6:30 PM at The Magic Carpet |
Saturday May 6, 2006
ORIENTAL RUGS - SYMBOLS, COLOR AND DESIGN
Dear Oriental Rug Lovers,
Gala opening of our new expanded gallery. Please join us on Saturday,
May 6th, 2006 at 7PM as we explore the fascinating world of Symbols,
Color and Design in old and new
Oriental rugs as well as
Navajo
rugs. Man has always sought to
understand and express himself through the language of
symbols and the power inherent in color and design. Throughout
this evening, we will focus our attention on how this expression
has been presented masterfully throughout the centuries in Oriental rugs and
Navajo
rugs. In this exhibit, Oriental Rugs - Symbols, Color and Design,
we will now be able to peruse over 50 extraordinary rugs!
We have just returned from an extensive buying trip where we handpicked a remarkable collection, mats to room size, of cultural survival rugs from Nepal, India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan as well as incredible antique Persian rugs and Southern Russian Caucasian rugs. Included in this shipment are the prized Afghan Turkmen Ersari rugs. All these rugs use only the finest hand-carded and hand-spun wools with a magnificent palette of vegetable dyes and 100% of the wholesale profits benefit the weaving communities. Recently we have been inspired by an original American art form and have selected pristine and dynamic antique Navajo rugs that will also be part of our exhibit. We look forward to sharing these works of art with you in our our beautiful and spacious Magic Carpet Gallery.
| Exhibit: ORIENTAL RUGS - SYMBOLS, COLOR AND DESIGN Educational Lecture, Exhibit and Refreshments |
Saturday, May 6, 2006 at 7PM at the Magic Carpet |
Saturday, Nov 5, 2005
THE PEOPLE, ENVIRONMENT AND CULTURAL SURVIVAL PROJECTS
Please join us on Saturday, November 5th at 7PM for a unique rug exhibit and multimedia travelogue focusing on The People, Environment and Cultural Survival Projects. During this evening, we will journey from Afghanistan, through Pakistan, India, Nepal, and Tibet with a power-point presentation focusing on Chris Walter’s recent travels to the various Cultural Survival Projects that he founded. Our exhibit, then, will feature a collection of magnificent hand-carded, hand-spun and vegetable-dyed rugs from the Ersari Project of Afghanistan, The Zamin Project of India, the Tibet Cultural Survival and Barakat Cultural Survival Projects as well as the DOBAG Cooperatives of Turkey. As many of you know, these rugs literally sparkle because of the integrity, quality and character with which they were woven. Their lustrous wool and beautiful dyes capture the shade and feel of old rugs. These rugs will truly be the antiques of the future.
In celebration of our 25th Anniversary, we have acquired a wonderful collection of old engraved copper Persian vessels, one-of-a kind silver and stone jewelry from India and a magnificent sampling of Oriental rugs from around the world. We look forward to sharing these with you!
| Multimedia Travelogue: THE PEOPLE, ENVIRONMENT AND CULTURAL SURVIVAL PROJECTS Educational Lecture, Exhibit and Refreshments |
Saturday, November 5th, 2005 at 7PM at the Magic Carpet |
Saturday, May 7, 2005
RUGS, WOMEN AND TIBETAN EDUCATION
Please join us on Saturday, May 7th at 7 PM for a unique Tibetan rug exhibit and educational lecture, Rugs, Women and Tibetan Education by Paul and Eileen Jorgensen and PhD. Candidate, Losang Rabgey. Losang is the current director of the Tibetan Project for Cultural Survival and will be presenting a lecture and power point presentation on their current programs in education, health, cultural expression and environmental stewardship. Our rug exhibit will feature many exquisite rugs with designs, motifs and vegetable dyed colors that mirror the history of Tibet and its unique environment.
We invite you to a special Mother’s Day presentation, which will explore the rural life and culture of Tibetan women today.
The Magic Carpet will be donating a percentage of the profits from this sale to help support this high-minded project with its focus on the betterment of the Tibetan community.
| RUGS, WOMEN AND TIBETAN EDUCATION Saturday, May 7th, 2005 at 7 PM at the Magic Carpet Educational Lecture, Exhibit and Refreshments |
Saturday, May 7th, 2005 at 7 PM at the Magic Carpet |
| THE WOMEN OF TIBET: A POETIC LOOK | Sunday, May 8th, 2005 1 to 3 PM at Keeping Still Mountain Tea Shop |
Friday, November 5, 2004
The Oldest Rug in Existence - The PAZYRYK... and TREE OF LIFE RUGS
Please join us for two fascinating programs this fall at The Magic Carpet. Our first event will feature Pazyryk and Tree of Life Rugs. During our December event we will present a DOBAG exhibit, lecture and rug weaving demonstration. We are privileged to be working with some of the most successful Cultural Survival Projects from which we have specially commissioned a unique collection of magnificent hand-carded, hand-spun and vegetable dyed rugs for these exhibits.
| DOBAG Rug Weaving Demonstrations | Thursday, Dec. 9th 3pm to 7pm Friday, Dec. 10th 10am to 4pm |
| DISCUSSION on DOBAG'S MOTIFS and SYMBOLS - Lecture and Demonstration | Friday, December 10th, 2004 at 7pm |
Friday, November 7, 2003
Ersari Cultural Survival Rugs for the 21st Century
We are proud to bring this hand-picked collection of Afghan Turkmen Ersari rugs to our community. We consider these to be the best hand-carded, hand-spun and vegetable-dyed Ersari (one branch of the Turkmen people) rugs being woven today. These rugs literally sparkle because of the integrity, quality and character with which they were woven. Their lustrous wool and beautiful dyes capture the shade and feel of the old rugs and each is signed and dated by the weaver.
In 1988, Chris Walter founded the Cultural Survival Ersari Project with Turkmen refugees in North Pakistan. His inspiration to form this non-profit organization came from his passion to help in the protection of endangered peoples and cultures throughout the world. All the wholesale profits from this project are being used to build schools and provide food and health care for these weaving families and the surrounding communities. At present, there are hundreds of students in three schools that are being supported by this project.
Come and help us celebrate out 24th anniversary. We have greatly expanded our collection of beautiful new and antique rugs and look forward to sharing them with you.
Friday, May 30th 2003
Cultural Survival Rugs: An Investment in Our Future Educational Lecture, Exhibit and Refreshments
Join us on Friday, May 30th at 7PM as we focus on our newest exhibit, Cultural Survival Rugs: An Investment in Our Future. We will be sharing our passion and involvement with Chris Walter’s three non-profit organizations, which are producing over 500 magnificent designs using only the finest hand carded and hand spun wools with a dazzling array of vegetable dyes. We are highly impressed with the integrity, quality and beauty of these rugs with many having the appearance of 80-year-old masterpieces. The wholesale profits of these rugs are being used to build schools, provide food and health care to weaving communities and fund reforestation projects. Some of the funds are also being used to help save endangered habitats in conjunction with The Nature Conservancy.
We have just returned from a buying trip where we handpicked over 100 of these remarkable cultural survival rugs that were woven in Nepal, India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. We also brought back a marvelous collection of antique masterpieces that we are excited to be sharing with you.
The effectiveness of the humanitarian efforts of Chris Walter and the DOBAG Rug Weaving Cooperative of Turkey has inspired us to establish a charitable trust in which we will donate a percentage of our profits to support children’s education in rural India. To learn more about all these projects and to see many of the rugs, statues and textiles in our shop, we invite you to peruse our state of the art website designed by our son, Josh, at www.themagiccarpet.biz.
Tuesday, October 29th 2002
Cultural Survival Projects for the 21st Century: DOBAG & Yayla
Join us to welcome Cennett Denari, master weaver and professor Serefe Atlan, chair of the Fine Arts Department of Marmara University, as we explore the ancient art of weaving with traditional Turkish designs.
This summer we attended the DOBAG rug weaving cooperative symposium in Turkey to celebrate the success of this ongoing cultural survival program. For the last twenty years, a number of small villages on the Aegean peninsula, under the auspices of the University of Marmara, joined together to revive the lost art of hand spinning, vegetable dying and hand knotting of Oriental rugs. During our visit we were able to experience the profound impact that this cooperative has had on the villages. DOBAG has invigorated the arts and crafts genius of the Turkish villagers, while revitalizing the weaving industry and creating the finest carpets in Turkey today. Since our last visit five years ago, we were greatly impressed by the improvements to the social and economic environment in the villages.
We will also be featuring rugs from other exceptional cultural survival programs: The Barakat Cultural Survival Projects, Tibetan Cultural Survival Projects and Ersari Cultural Survival Projects. These projects are creating incredibly beautiful rugs also using vegetable dyes and hand spun wool to fund the building of schools and health care centers as well as work on environmental projects.
| DOBAG Rug Weaving Demonstrations | Monday, October 28th 10:30 to 5
PM and 7 to 9 PM Tuesday, October 29th 10:30 to 5 PM |
Friday, May 17th 2002
Art Treasures for the Altar the Door and the Floor
Join us on Friday, May 17th for a cultural evening featuring the music,
dance and poetry of the East followed by a lecture focusing on our new
exhibit: Art Treasures for the Altar the Door and the Floor.
We will be showing masterpieces from two wonderful
cultural survival projects
both of which are using
vegetable dyes and hand-spun
wool.
These non-profit weaving projects are involved in providing services
that are benefiting the refugees and rug weavers of
Afghanistan, Tibet,
India and Turkey.
We are excited to be associated
with such socially conscious programs.
Rounding out our evening we will peruse our latest collection of museum-quality antique Indian and Nepali statuary as well as our latest acquisition of stunning Gujarati embroideries.
We are proud to announce the launching of our new state-of-the-art web site designed by our son Josh. You can now purchase from our ever-expanding on-line gallery of rugs, statues and textiles as well as peruse our educational material.
Sunday, October 28th 2001
DOBAG: Craftswomen Changing The World
On October 28, Turkish Master Weaver, Cennett Denari, from the DOBAG Cooperative will set up her loom in the Magic Carpet and be weaving one of the world-famous DOBAG rugs. She will be joined by Professor Serife Atlihan from the University of Marmara in Istanbul who oversees the village production and is an expert on motifs and symbols of DOBAG rugs. Serife will explain how this university-sponsored project has been instrumental in conserving their folk art tradition while restoring the integrity of village life.
The DOBAG Project, by bringing back the traditional methods of hand carting, hand spinning and the vegetable dying of wool, has revolutionized the rug weaving industry.
We have gathered together many beautiful DOBAG rugs as well as a stunning selection of over 200 brass and bronze Indian statuary. We want to thank all of you who have made the last 22 years so enjoyable and look forward to seeing you soon.
| DOBAG Rug Weaving Demonstration | Sunday, October 28th, 12 Noon to 7 PM |
Friday, June 1st 2001
The Ancient Arts of India
Join us on Friday, June 1st at 7PM for a lecture focusing
on our new exhibit, 'The Ancient Arts of India.'
On our recent trip to India, we were given an incredible opportunity
to purchase a large collection of museum-quality
ceremonial
and dowry embroideries from the Rabari and Ahir
communities who live in the Kutch and Saurasthra regions of Gujarat.
The women of Gujarat have an ancient tradition of producing some of
the finest needlework in the world. These fine embroideries were intricately
and colorfully decorated to commemorate their special occasions. This
rare eye-dazzling display comes to Nevada County at a time when the
recent Gujarat earthquake destroyed many of the villages and the people
whose handiwork we will be exhibiting. In honor and appreciation of
their artistry, ten percent of this sale will be donated to the Sathya
Sai Baba relief effort that is underway right now in India.
We also were fortunate to find more stunning old Indian and Tibetan brass and bronze statuary to add to our previous collection, as well as fifteen beautiful silk rugs from the world famous Maqbool weavers of Kashmir. This premier weaving family specializes in jewel tones and exquisite color combinations in creating their crisp high-knotted silk rugs.
