Weaving Rituals for Resistance: Queering the Tallit

Authors

• Sam Simons, Independent Artist

Date of this Version

2024

Document Type

Presentation

Citation

Textile Society of America 2024 Symposium

Shifts & Strands: Rethinking the Possibilities and Potentials of Textiles, November 12-17, 2024, a virtual event

Comments

Published by the Textiles Society of America

Copyright 2024, the author. Used by permission

Abstract

“Weaving Rituals for Resistance” explores the history and significance of the tallit, a Jewish prayer shawl, as an immersive and transformative experience. Since 2022, I have been researching the historical development, making practices, and use of tallit, and its intersections with gender, sexuality, and power. Traditionally, tallit are worn by men; that is changing. There is no one way to feel about wearing tallit, but many share that they feel safe, protected and held. I worked with my rabbi to develop educational programming – a five-session course in Fall 2023. We covered history, textual sources for design and use, biblical dyes, and how to make one’s tallit. As a weaver, I aim to empower queer folks to create tallit and add our experiences to their rich history as ritual objects. As an exhibition manager specializing in digital and new media art, I consider tallit an experiential space. Much like wearers of tallit, visitors of immersive art installations hope to be transported and transformed. My presentation will share my journey of creating a tallit, the object’s evolving meanings, and tallit’s role in empowering diverse communities, showcasing textiles as dynamic architectures imbued with personal and communal significance.