East Asian textiles: The application of digital technologies in preserving and exhibiting textiles overseas

In recent decades, the development of cultural object digitization projects by major museums and institutions have been understood primarily as a means of making collections more widely accessible, while also supporting preservation and future restoration, and contextualizing objects in relation to their originating environment. However, together with these benefits, issues of representation, particularly in relation to ethnic identification and cataloguing, have been noted by digital humanists.
Textiles are a widespread cultural form that serves as a tangible manifestation of the histories and identities of cultural groups. Furthermore, textiles have attracted the attention of collectors in recent decades for highlighting the diversity of ethnic groups, and more specifically the artistic achievements of women from minority groups in China. In 2013, Dr. May Weber donated a large number of textiles sourced from various ethnic minority groups in China to Loyola University Chicago. Made from organic materials, their structural composition is sensitive to deterioration. In collaboration with the Center for Textual Studies and Digital Humanities, the May Weber Ethnographic Study Collection created a digital project, East Asian Textiles, to support learning, teaching, and research with these objects.