Lecture: Negro Cloth, Enslaved People, and Legacy of Lowell Manufacturing

Textile Arts Center (TAC) is a NYC-based resource facility dedicated to raising awareness and understanding of textiles through creative educational programs for children and adults. At TAC, we aspire to unite the textile community and advocate for the handmade by providing accessible, skills-based classes that reinvigorate engagement with traditional crafts.

Textile Arts Center

“'We black folks had to wear lowells': Negro Cloth, Enslaved People, and the Legacy of Lowell Manufacturing" by Dr. Jonathan Michael Square

Join <a href="https://www.instagram.com/stylesquared/" title="https://www.instagram.com/stylesquared/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Dr. Jonathan Michael Square</a> on February 19 at TAC for an in-depth exploration of the history of negro cloth and its pivotal role in the American fashion industry, with a focus on its production in Lowell, Massachusetts. The talk will also examine how enslaved individuals utilized textiles as a form of self-fashioning in the face of the deprivation of their self-hood. Dr. Jonathan Michael Square is the Assistant Professor of Black Visual Culture at Parsons School of Design. He earned a PhD from New York University, an M.A. from the University of Texas at Austin, and a B.A. from Cornell University. Previously, he taught in the Committee on Degree in History and Literature at Harvard University and was a fellow in the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Most recently, he curated the exhibition Past Is Present: Black Artists Respond to the Complicated Histories of Slavery at the Herron School of Art and Design, which closed in January 2023. In 2025, he curated the exhibitions Rendering Revolution at Parsons School of Design and Almost Unknown, The Afric-American Picture Gallery at the Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library . A proponent of the use of social media as a form of radical pedagogy, Dr. Square also leads the digital humanities project Fashioning the Self in Slavery and Freedom.

Our {communityGuidelinesLink} describe the sort of content we prohibit on Eventbrite. If you suspect an event may be in violation, you can report it to us so we can investigate.

To report other categories of prohibited or illegal content, submit {link}

Lecture: Negro Cloth, Enslaved People, and Legacy of Lowell Manufacturing

More events from Textile Arts Center

Discover more events from Textile Arts Center, from Community to other experiences you might love.

Still looking for the right event?

Explore all events in Brooklyn and filter by date, category, and more to find the perfect fit.

Lecture: Negro Cloth, Enslaved People, and Legacy of Lowell Manufacturing

More events from Textile Arts Center

Discover more events from Textile Arts Center, from Community to other experiences you might love.

You might also like...

Browse more events with different dates, prices, and formats to find your next great experience.

Still looking for the right event?

Explore all events in Brooklyn and filter by date, category, and more to find the perfect fit.