First Steps

The charming village of Coggeshall, Essex

To begin my journey diving into my grandmother's career, life, and influence I could hardly think of a better person to start with then her long-time friend and collection curator: Mary Schoeser. Mary is the patron of the School of Textile in Coggeshall, Essex, and has for many years curated Marian’s retrospective exhibition as it has toured throughout the UK and US.

Meeting with Mary was a bit like jumping in with both feet first, but in the gentlest way possible. Throughout the few hours we spent together I learned about Marian's past—things I knew, things I didn't. I learned about some of Marian’s artworks and their histories and influences, and how Marian had shown them in museums around the world. I learned about Mary’s current ambitions for where Marian’s collection might go next and how might benefit from displaying it. I learned about the history of the textile industry and how Marian’s work fit within it from a true expert in the field.

The School of Textiles Collection includes some of Marian’s most public exposure, as seen here when Oprah Winfrey wore a Clayden jacket on the June ‘91 cover of Essence magazine.

I'm glad to say that as her grandson, I knew some of these things already. That said, I'm just as glad to say as the chief architect of this project that there was plenty that I didn't know or hadn't yet appreciated. Mary spoke at length about Marian's natural pedagogy: how she gathered fabrics together with a teacher’s and collector’s eye, not only as an artist. Mary also impressed on me the importance of Marian's work with local French textile manufacturers and placed in context how important that was and how influential Marian’s reputation was in Lyon and beyond. Mary has also built an enviable address book of contacts; she is the kind of woman who knows everyone, and everyone knows. The list of names I took away in my notes took up several pages.

Just as precious as Mary’s experience and networks, I learned too of the teaching collection Marian left her. Before Marian died, she gave a combination of visuals, writings, research, and commentary that formed a teaching collection of her methods and practice. Mary has expanded on it by adding in her own materials for planning and curating Marian’s exhibitions as well as press clippings, dress patterns, and swatches. All of it brought together form a jewel: a perfect microcosm of the work my grandmother thought important enough to share with students. As I began the work of this Foundation to learn, catalogue, and champion Marian’s career and influence, her personal selections were not unlike a map pointing me to what was important in her own eyes.

Mary has written extensively on the history of textile, and Marian has featured in her books.

The most important takeaway of course was that I'd barely scratched the surface at the School of Textiles with Mary, and that many more visits would need to be taken to make sure that I had all of the material properly catalogued and as much information gleaned from Mary's mind as possible. I look forward to my next visit to Essex.