Her rugs cover a lot of ground

The rugs in a professor's collection come from a variety of nations.
By DENISE DICK
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
CHAMPION -- Kent State University-Trumbull Art professor Susan Schroeder connects with people around the world through the decorative rugs she collects.
A sample of her vast collection is on display through today at the campus art gallery. Schroeder bought the first installment of her collection, an Algerian rug, in 1968 while on a trip to Paris.
She first became interested in the rugs and their varied textures while a child. A man who worked with her father had immigrated from Algeria and owned rugs.
"I spent a lot of time looking at them as a kid," Schroeder said.
She buys them at different locations like Akron and Cleveland, but many were made in other countries.
Changing with the seasons
Schroeder decorates her Hiram home with the pieces, changing them when the seasons change or the mood strikes. Some were made in India, some Algeria, some Iran or Afghanistan. Some bear vibrant colors with large patterns while others are more subdued.
Many were handmade for sale.
One rug bears slight marks from the knees of a previous owner who kneeled on it to pray. Another, she believes, was woven in a refugee camp.
She doesn't know how many she has and can't explain what she looks for in selecting a rug for her collection.
"I just know it when I see it," Schroeder said.
One rug, made in Afghanistan, shows Soviet helicopters woven into the design.
"What I find particularly eerie is the coupling with the Tree of Life," she said, referring to the religious symbol woven alongside the helicopters.
The weavers
Schroeder thinks of the people, primarily women, who weave the intricate designs. Many, she believes, were woven by Baluch nomads.
"I think of them all the time," she said.
The economy of the Baluch, whose homeland is along the border of Iran and Pakistan, is based on farming and nomadic shepherding.
Women often weave the artistry together either as a family or group. But Schroeder wonders if war and forced settlements are driving the nomadic way of life toward extinction.
Iran is forcing nomads to abandon their lifestyles and into settlements.
"Is that good or bad? I don't know, but I think that we're losing something," Schroeder said. "It makes me kind of sad."
dick@vindy.com