Rugs, Rugs, Rugs

Joyce Davis

“Some people collect fine paintings, sculptures, or sparkling jewelry. But there’s another art form that has inspired me from my first travels into the Middle East — oriental carpets. I fell in love with my first carpet while sipping sweet, hot tea in Istanbul. The room was overflowing with rugs and tapestries, and deciding which was the most beautiful was hard. The shop owner kept throwing carpet after carpet onto the floor before me: one made of 100 percent wool, another of wool and cotton, another of pure silk. Some were decades-old antiques but looked lustrously new. Others were simple prayer rugs that provided a soft spot for knees to land before Allah. The best offered intricately woven designs of flowers, birds, deer, and even gazelles, with all the detail of the finest Renoir or Manet.

After purchasing my first Turkish carpet, I would return with one or two more every time I journeyed into the Middle East. I even found a way to bring a silk one back from Iran! The experts insist these works of art only grow more beautiful with each footstep they endure over time. But I’m running out of floor space fast to put all of the exquisite carpets that are a close and constant reminder of my adventures around the globe.”

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Memories & Inspiration: The Kerry and C. Betty Davis Collection of African American Art is organized and toured by International Arts & Artists.