Fiscal Sponsorship
Southwest Textile
Database Project
Southwest Textile Database Project
The Southwest Textile Database Project is a free, volunteer-run online resource that preserves and shares knowledge about Indigenous and introduced weaving traditions of the American Southwest. Through an interactive database of over 1,200 documented 19th-century handwoven blankets from more than 50 U.S. museums, it provides detailed visual, cultural, and scientific information based on the research of Dr. Joe Ben Wheat and expanded by Dr. Ann Lane Hedlund.
Our Mission
The Southwest Textile Database Project’s mission is to inspire and educate artists, weavers, researchers, and members of the public about Indigenous and introduced weaving traditions of the American Southwest. The information and images in our database are based on the groundbreaking research and book by Dr. Joe Ben Wheat (1916-1997), augmented with studies by Dr. Ann Lane Hedlund, project director. The database includes visual, aesthetic, and scientific data (photographs, comparative descriptions, measurements, fiber analyses, woven structures, dye tests, etc.) that establish the cultural and chronological story of handweaving by Pueblo, Navajo, and Hispanic communities in the Southwest. Without charge, the website is accessible to everyone.
Why Support Us?
Without institutional support and funding, and operated entirely by volunteer efforts, the SW Textile Project relies on private donations for the annual expense of licensing and maintaining a secure, dedicated website, hosted on a specialized FileMaker server with non-profit users’ credentials provided by the Gila Community Foundation. Such donations keep access to our website free and available to everyone.
