In 2012 the Barakat Trust gave a grant to Annette Beselin to help her attend the 8th annual North American Textile Conservation Conference from the 8th of November to the 11th held in Oaxaca, Mexico. The conference titled “Plying the Trades: Pulling Together in the 21st Century” explored the various ways in which conservation and restoration relate to the societies in which we live.
The conference was very well attended, with more than 500 experts from institutions from more than 12 countries visiting and contributing.
A particular talk that was of great interest to Annette was about conservation challenges to Ottoman Carpets in Transylvanian Churches. One of the richest, largest and most diverse assemblages of Ottoman carpets located outside of the Islamic world are preserved in Protestant churches in Transylvania, Romania. Today professional conservation is needed to prevent deterioration of this important group of around 380 carpets which date from the mid 15th century to the late 18th centuries.
