Poorvi Mathur

Coordinated and managed ‘In Bloom’, a fundraiser exhibit for ‘Fiberart International’, the triennial juried exhibition sponsored by the Fiberarts Guild of Pittsburgh, Inc.
Created visual materials for information and promoting the event

Designed and produced wings for museum visitors based on the butterfly from Eric Carle’s popular book, ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’. These were part of the ‘Very Eric Carle’ exhibition at the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh and will be touring across USA for the next ten years.

Designed and sold textile jewelry and children’s products on Etsy and prominent local craft fairs including the ‘I Made It Market’, in Pittsburgh.

Fiber-art piece exhibited at the Borelli Edwards Art Gallery, Pittsburgh, PA, as part of the juried show, ‘Edge to Edge’.

Actively participated and contributed as a community leader to bring people in and around Pittsburgh together to create a public art installation (yarn-bomb) on the Andy Warhol Bridge, Pittsburgh. Continue to volunteer in repurposing the panels and railings after their removal.

Two fiber based art pieces were selected for ‘Unveiled’, a juried fiber-art exhibition at the Pittsburgh Center for Arts

Visiting artist lecture titled, ‘Collecting Natural Resources for Artwork’ for the Three Dimensional Fibers class, Textile Department.

Designed innovative fabrics and textile based home products to be exhibited at the international fairs Heimtextil and Ambiente, Frankfurt.
Designed and coordinated season-wise collections and presentations for buyers, including Pier 1 and Crate & Barrel.
Translated technically complex and innovative concepts into samples for the Italian buyer, Gervasoni.
Participated in the initial conceptualization and design development for Women Weave, a charitable trust supporting women in rural areas.
Mentored the collection of a student intern.
Photographed products and designed layouts for catalogues.

Conceptualized the theme for a Cardiac Rehabilitation Centre and introduced textile to lend serenity to the space.
Designed and executed a false ceiling of fabric to improve the acoustics of the rooms, amongst other textile applications like curtains and screens.
Gained invaluable insights while working with architects and contractors.

Prints Designed fine quality block prints for the export market using traditional Indian printing techniques.
Was actively involved in coordinating the production process of the products including garments, home furnishings and printed paper.

Co-Authored 'In Transit', a book-document of the Maheshwari textile of Maheshwar, Madhya Pradesh. The document is based on researched information and visuals collected during a field study in Maheshwar.
Synopsis: The Maheshwari textile is a unique fabric construction of Silk (in the warp) and cotton (in the weft) which creates a light translucent fabric.
The book discusses the history of the textile, which is closely linked to the rulers of the region and their patronage to the craft. A fall in patronage as a result of scrupulous dyes penetrating the market, resulted in an almost death of the skill. It was revived once again and has since regained the splendor and regard it once held. The passage of events however have seen a marked change and evolution of the textile.
The book further goes into detail on the materials and techniques used in the weaving of the fabric. Design patterns on the border are created using the dobby technique of weaving, the motifs of which are studied in detail with their corresponding drafting and weaving plans.
The book also throws light on current innovations in fabric construction and products as well as activities of organizations in the region to assist weavers in promoting the textile.

Library and archival research, field research and photographs for the Chapter on Block Printing of Jaipur.
Photography for the chapter on Terracotta of Pune, Maharashtra.
Synopsis: Handmade in India is a unique and thorough compilation that examines all aspects of Indian handicrafts including historical, social and cultural influences, design and processes, traditional and new markets, products and tools.
Based on extensive fieldwork and research and accompanied by extensive photographic images, drawings and diagrams, the book maps the regional craft clusters on the basis of prevailing craft-work patterns, providing a rich resource on the the subject.

Designed costumes for a 45 minute stage performance titled ‘Act for Ahimsa’ (Non Violence), for Yugoslavian director, Suncica Milosavljevic.
Minimum change of costume with maximum change in impact was a consideration when designing as the the performance did not have any interval.

Designed a garment collection for Spring - Summer, using hand loom and traditional crafts in a contemporary and commercial context.
Directly interacted with suppliers to co-ordinate the production of the collection and participated in Retail Merchandising and Allocation Planning of products in stores across the country.
Organized and conducted a workshop for pattern makers and tailors to improve skills for better quality.

Co-Authored 'The Torch Bearers', a book-document encompassing the culture, costumes, textiles, craft techniques, motifs and products of the Sodha Rajput and Ahir communities of Kutch, Gujarat.
Synopsis: Kutch, a drought prone region of Gujarat, India, is amongst the most vibrant parts of the country vis a vis its culture, costumes and crafts. Inhabited by a number of tribes and communities, it portrays a vast abundance of traditional craft skills which spread across different embroidery techniques including applique, weaving, resist dyeing (bandhani) and printing (ajrakh and block), leather work, pottery, felt (namda), wood and metal work.
The book examines two of the many communities closely, studying their history, culture, costumes, crafts, design vocabulary, embroidery techniques and products.