Preserving History One Textile At A Time; Textile Conservationist Julia Brennan

“We often don’t fully appreciate the things we wear, the fabrics we put on our bodies. Textiles are some of the most ancient art forms and yet they aren't given the same weight. Every textile has a story, I let the fabrics speak and I listen.” 

Julia Brennan has been a textile conservationist for the last thirty-eight years breathing life into a great many historical items of clothing, quilts, embroidered tapestries, and more. Most recently, she worked in Cambodia and Rwanda preserving clothing from victims of genocides. 

At the  Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum in Phnom Penh and the Nyamata Genocide Memorial south of Kigali, she worked along side local staff training each on best practices to ensure that each museum will be independently sustainable in the future.  

“It’s really about preserving and sharing our history. When I look at intricate stitching and delicately layered fabrics I see the time and love that was put into these garments. I also see the violence and bloodshed from the victims of atrocities and war. That was someone's favorite shirt, or a little girl's favorite dress. I believe we each wear our hearts on our sleeves, and can think of nothing more beautiful then to preserve that love and history for futures to come."