Presented by Ashley Callahan, “Catherine Evans Whitener and Other Women of the Northwest Georgia’s Tufted Fashion Industry” will discuss the history of candlewick and chenille garment production in northwestern Georgia from the 1920s through the 1950s. Callahan will highlight the roles of Catherine Evans Whitener and other women who were the leaders and innovators in the field.

Ashley Callahan is an independent scholar and former curator of decorative arts at the Georgia Museum of Art. She holds a Master of Arts in the History of American Decorative Arts from Parsons School of Design and the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum, and a Bachelor of Arts in Art History from Sewanee, the University of the South. She is the author of Southern Tufts: The Regional Origins and National Craze for Chenille Fashion, Frankie Welch's Americana: Fashion, Scarves, and Politics; Georgia Bellflowers: The Furniture of Henry Eugene Thomas; Modern Threads: Fashion and Art by Mariska Karasz; and Enchanting Modern: Ilonka Karasz, and coauthor of Crafting History: Textiles, Metals, and Ceramics at the University of Georgia.

This event is free and open to the public.