R.L. Shep
Encyclopedia
Robert Lee "Robb" Shep is an American writer, publisher and textile researcher. He is commonly known by his nom de plume, R. L. Shep. Shep is known primarily for his books on textile arts, costume and period etiquette, which are either reprints of 19th century monographies or compilations of primary sources.
, California
to Ruth and Milton Shep; his four grandparents were Jews
who emigrated to the United States from czarist Russia
.
In 1950, Shep graduated from Army and Navy Academy. He received a Bachelor of Arts
in Dramatic Art from the University of California, Berkeley
in 1955. Shep continued his education, first at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
, London
(1955–56), then at the American Institute of Foreign Trade
in Glendale
, Arizona
.
Shep first traveled to Nepal
in 1978. Later, between 1983 and 2004, Shep made several trips to Bhutan
and Northeastern India; collecting and studying Bhutanese and Northeastern Indian Naga
textiles, particularly from the Maram tribe
, exploring design themes that remain consistent, persisting in the work even as traditions change over time.
On his return to the United States, Shep devoted two issues of The Textile Booklist to Bhutan (Winter 1984 and Spring 1984). The illustrated articles in the Bhutan issues of The Textile Booklist.
The Seattle Textile and Rug Society sponsored two presentations by Shep, the first (1999) focused on silks from Northeastern India; Naga textiles were the subject of the second.
Shep also collected textiles from these regions. The core of his collection includes some thirty Naga blankets or shawls dating from the late 1960s to the mid-1990s, representing textile development during that period. Other items in the collection date from the early 20th century. This collection was given to the Fowler Museum
at UCLA.
At the end of 2004, the balance of R. L. Shep's collection of antique and contemporary hand-loomed textiles was given to the Mingei Museum
in San Diego, with some of the Shep collection going to the Henry Art Gallery
, at the University of Washington
.
Other professional affiliations have included the United States Institute for Theatre Technology
, the Seattle Textile and Rug Society, Pacific Textile Arts, the Costume Society of Ontario
, the Costume Society of Great Britain, and the Australian Forum for Textile Art, Ltd..
(LACMA), an annual ethnic textiles book award and an endowment at the UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History.
In 1998, Shep founded the Triennial R. L. Shep Symposium of Textiles and Dress at LACMA. The symposia are supported by the R.L. Shep Symposium Endowment for Costume and Textiles. The first symposium, Dress as Transformation: Creating Experience in Theater and Masquerade, was held in April 1999. The second symposium, Miracles & Mischief: Noh and Kyogen Theater in Japan was held in December 2002. It was the first of these symposiums to be held in association with an exhibit and catalog. The third symposium, 17th Century Textiles & Dress, was held on 9 April 2005 in association with the exhibit Images of Fashion from the Court of Louis XIV. The fourth symposium, Talking Cloth – New Studies on Indonesian Textiles, was held on 18 October 2008 in association with the exhibit Five Centuries of Indonesian Textiles: Selections from the Mary Hunt Kahlenberg Collection and catalog It gave participants a "rare opportunity to scrutinize remarkable textiles from india and to reevaluate issues relating to the methodology of the field".
The fifth symposium, Fashioning a Collection: Vision and Viewpoints, was held on 15 January 2011 in association with the exhibit Fashioning Fashion: European Dress in Detail, 1700–1915, with an exhibition catalog by LACMA Senior Curator and Head, Costume and Textiles Department, Sharon S. Takeda, and Kaye Durland Spilker, Curator, Costume and Textiles Department at LACMA.
Since 2000, the annual R. L. Shep Ethnic Textiles Book Award has honored a book in Ethnic Textile studies. The "esteemed" award is a $750 prize funded by an endowment established by R.L. Shep in 2000. It is administered by the Textile Society of America. The first winner was Otag-I Humayun: The Ottoman Imperial Tent Complex by Nurhan Atasoy.
Since 2003, the R. L. Shep Endowment at the UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History
has been used to support the exhibitions and the publication of their catalogs. For example, in 2006, the Fowler used Shep Endowment funding for the exhibition Material Choices: Refashioning Bast and Leaf Fibers in Asia and the Pacific and its catalog, which also received the R.L. Shep Ethnic Textiles Book Award in 2007.
In 2010 the R.L. Shep Endowment provided funding for a book and three major exhibits at the Fowler. The first was a successful show, Meet Me at the Center of the Earth by textile and performance artist Nick Cave. Also in 2010, Weavers’ Stories from Island Southeast Asia presented videos of weavers and batik
artists from Indonesia
, Malaysia, the Philippines
, and East Timor
, talking about social and economic change, and its relation to their individual artistic choices; the videos were accompanied by textiles created by the artists especially for the exhibit. The third project supported by the Shep Endowment in 2010 was the publication of a book, Nini Towok's Spinning Wheel: Cloth and the Cycle of Life in Kerek, Java by Rens Heringa, and the concurrent presentation of an exhibit of the same name.
Early life
Robert Shep was born in Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
to Ruth and Milton Shep; his four grandparents were Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
who emigrated to the United States from czarist Russia
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
.
In 1950, Shep graduated from Army and Navy Academy. He received a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in Dramatic Art from the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
in 1955. Shep continued his education, first at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art is a drama school located in London, United Kingdom. It is generally regarded as one of the most renowned drama schools in the world, and is one of the oldest drama schools in the United Kingdom, having been founded in 1904.RADA is an affiliate school of the...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
(1955–56), then at the American Institute of Foreign Trade
Thunderbird School of Global Management
Thunderbird School of Global Management is a private business school whose main campus is located in Glendale, Arizona. Founded in 1946 by retired U.S...
in Glendale
Glendale, Arizona
Glendale is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, USA, located about nine miles northwest from Downtown Phoenix. According to 2010 Census Bureau, the population of the city is 226,721....
, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
.
Career
In 1965 Shep began to sell imported and out-of-print books on costume and textiles. In 1981, he took the helm of The Textile Booklist.Shep first traveled to Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
in 1978. Later, between 1983 and 2004, Shep made several trips to Bhutan
Bhutan
Bhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...
and Northeastern India; collecting and studying Bhutanese and Northeastern Indian Naga
Nagaland
Nagaland is a state in the far north-eastern part of India. It borders the state of Assam to the west, Arunachal Pradesh and part of Assam to the north, Burma to the east and Manipur to the south. The state capital is Kohima, and the largest city is Dimapur...
textiles, particularly from the Maram tribe
Maram (Naga tribe)
The Marams are a Naga tribe, located in the northeast of India, mainly in Senapati district.- Demographics :Marams are mainly found in the Senapti district of Manipur...
, exploring design themes that remain consistent, persisting in the work even as traditions change over time.
On his return to the United States, Shep devoted two issues of The Textile Booklist to Bhutan (Winter 1984 and Spring 1984). The illustrated articles in the Bhutan issues of The Textile Booklist.
The Seattle Textile and Rug Society sponsored two presentations by Shep, the first (1999) focused on silks from Northeastern India; Naga textiles were the subject of the second.
Shep also collected textiles from these regions. The core of his collection includes some thirty Naga blankets or shawls dating from the late 1960s to the mid-1990s, representing textile development during that period. Other items in the collection date from the early 20th century. This collection was given to the Fowler Museum
UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History
The Fowler Museum at UCLA or more commonly, The Fowler is a museum on the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles which explores art and material culture primarily from Africa, Asia and the Pacific, and the Americas, past and present...
at UCLA.
At the end of 2004, the balance of R. L. Shep's collection of antique and contemporary hand-loomed textiles was given to the Mingei Museum
Mingei International Museum
The Mingei International Museum is a non-profit public institution that collects, conserves and exhibits folk art, craft and design. The museum was first founded in 1974 and its building opened in 1978. The word mingei, meaning 'art of the people,' was coined by the Japanese scholar Dr...
in San Diego, with some of the Shep collection going to the Henry Art Gallery
Henry Art Gallery
The Henry Art Gallery is the art museum of the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington, USA. Located on the west edge of the university's campus along 15th Avenue N.E. in the University District, it was founded in 1927 and was the first public art museum in the state of Washington. The...
, at the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
.
Professional affiliations
R.L. Shep is an honorary member of the Textile Society of America. He has served on the Costume Society of America's national board of directors from 1985 to 1987.Other professional affiliations have included the United States Institute for Theatre Technology
United States Institute for Theatre Technology
The United States Institute for Theatre Technology is a membership organization which aims to advance the skills and knowledge of theatre, entertainment and performing arts professionals involved in the areas of design, production and technology, and to generally promote their interests...
, the Seattle Textile and Rug Society, Pacific Textile Arts, the Costume Society of Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, the Costume Society of Great Britain, and the Australian Forum for Textile Art, Ltd..
Publications
According to Shep, his interest in reprinting technical textile books from the 19th century started with the discovery of a copy of Louis Devere's "The Handbook of Practical Cutting on the Centre Point System" and was encouraged by his "mentor", the costumer Betty Williams. He has published and often edited the following books:Periodicals
In 1981 R.L. Shep purchased The Textile Booklist, a longstanding quarterly primarily devoted to lists of books on industrial textiles. He retained the industrial textile listings, but expanded coverage to include lists of new titles on costume and textile arts, adding reviews of some titles, and original articles on related subjects. At the end of 1984, Shep sold the Textile Booklist, which continued for several years under new ownership. From 1996 to 1997, Shep published and edited Rags: Quarterly Review of Costume, Clothing & Ethnic Textile Books, which offered in-depth reviews by textile professionals.Endowments
R.L. Shep's endowments include a triennial symposium on textiles and dress at the Los Angeles County Museum of ArtLos Angeles County Museum of Art
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art is an art museum in Los Angeles, California. It is located on Wilshire Boulevard along Museum Row in the Miracle Mile vicinity of Los Angeles, adjacent to the George C. Page Museum and La Brea Tar Pits....
(LACMA), an annual ethnic textiles book award and an endowment at the UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History.
In 1998, Shep founded the Triennial R. L. Shep Symposium of Textiles and Dress at LACMA. The symposia are supported by the R.L. Shep Symposium Endowment for Costume and Textiles. The first symposium, Dress as Transformation: Creating Experience in Theater and Masquerade, was held in April 1999. The second symposium, Miracles & Mischief: Noh and Kyogen Theater in Japan was held in December 2002. It was the first of these symposiums to be held in association with an exhibit and catalog. The third symposium, 17th Century Textiles & Dress, was held on 9 April 2005 in association with the exhibit Images of Fashion from the Court of Louis XIV. The fourth symposium, Talking Cloth – New Studies on Indonesian Textiles, was held on 18 October 2008 in association with the exhibit Five Centuries of Indonesian Textiles: Selections from the Mary Hunt Kahlenberg Collection and catalog It gave participants a "rare opportunity to scrutinize remarkable textiles from india and to reevaluate issues relating to the methodology of the field".
The fifth symposium, Fashioning a Collection: Vision and Viewpoints, was held on 15 January 2011 in association with the exhibit Fashioning Fashion: European Dress in Detail, 1700–1915, with an exhibition catalog by LACMA Senior Curator and Head, Costume and Textiles Department, Sharon S. Takeda, and Kaye Durland Spilker, Curator, Costume and Textiles Department at LACMA.
Since 2000, the annual R. L. Shep Ethnic Textiles Book Award has honored a book in Ethnic Textile studies. The "esteemed" award is a $750 prize funded by an endowment established by R.L. Shep in 2000. It is administered by the Textile Society of America. The first winner was Otag-I Humayun: The Ottoman Imperial Tent Complex by Nurhan Atasoy.
Since 2003, the R. L. Shep Endowment at the UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History
UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History
The Fowler Museum at UCLA or more commonly, The Fowler is a museum on the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles which explores art and material culture primarily from Africa, Asia and the Pacific, and the Americas, past and present...
has been used to support the exhibitions and the publication of their catalogs. For example, in 2006, the Fowler used Shep Endowment funding for the exhibition Material Choices: Refashioning Bast and Leaf Fibers in Asia and the Pacific and its catalog, which also received the R.L. Shep Ethnic Textiles Book Award in 2007.
In 2010 the R.L. Shep Endowment provided funding for a book and three major exhibits at the Fowler. The first was a successful show, Meet Me at the Center of the Earth by textile and performance artist Nick Cave. Also in 2010, Weavers’ Stories from Island Southeast Asia presented videos of weavers and batik
Batik
Batik is a cloth that traditionally uses a manual wax-resist dyeing technique. Batik or fabrics with the traditional batik patterns are found in Indonesia, Malaysia, Japan, China, Azerbaijan, India, Sri Lanka, Egypt, Nigeria, Senegal, and Singapore.Javanese traditional batik, especially from...
artists from Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, Malaysia, the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, and East Timor
East Timor
The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, commonly known as East Timor , is a state in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco, and Oecusse, an exclave on the northwestern side of the island, within Indonesian West Timor...
, talking about social and economic change, and its relation to their individual artistic choices; the videos were accompanied by textiles created by the artists especially for the exhibit. The third project supported by the Shep Endowment in 2010 was the publication of a book, Nini Towok's Spinning Wheel: Cloth and the Cycle of Life in Kerek, Java by Rens Heringa, and the concurrent presentation of an exhibit of the same name.