The Liberty Corporation is a holding company whose subsidiaries are active in insurance, broadcasting, and real estate development. Its primary subsidiaries are the Liberty Life Insurance Company and Cosmos Broadcasting Corporation.

The Liberty Textile Collection technically is the property of the Liberty Life Insurance Company. Licensed in 46 states and the District of Columbia, the company serves individual, group, and employer-sponsored markets with a broad range of traditional products and a full line of universal life products.

The company was founded in 1919 by W. Frank Hipp as a life insurance company, with its primary focus on a weekly premium insurance policy. His three sons, Francis, Herman, and Calhoun, joined him in the business, and it evolved into its present form in recent years. Francis is chairman of the board of the Liberty Corporation, and his son Hayne is president and chief executive officer of the corporation.

R. Glenn Hilliard is the chairman of the board and CEO of Liberty Insurance. The existence of the Liberty Textile Collection is due mainly to his personal and direct interest in the creation of an art and textile collection for the company, with the encouragement of Francis Hipp.

In 1969 under Mr. Hilliard's direction, the Liberty Insurance Company began to acquire works of art, mostly limited edition prints, paintings, etchings and drawings as the basis of a corporate art collection. A committee of Liberty employees was created to be responsible for the selection of art works. In these early years some textiles were acquired along with more traditional art works. In 1978, a conscious decision was made to change direction from the so-called fine arts to textiles.

One reason for this was that Greenville is the center of the textile industries of the South. Because textiles are so important to the general economy of the region, it was felt that art acquisitions should be related to the industry from which so many individuals and businesses make their livelihood in the Greenville area.

A second and main reason for deciding to focus on textiles was employee interest in the textiles that had already been acquired. Employees wanted to know from where the textiles had come, why they were made in certain shapes or decorated in various ways, and what was their use; further, the employees discussed their responses to them. By contrast, when a print or painting was hung, they might initially express approval or disapproval of it, but there was no further reaction. It was obvious that textiles generated more interest from the employees and kept them engaged on a continuing basis. Because the Liberty Corporation is a familial type of firm, the company hoped that employees at all levels would approve of the art objects which were being acquired. The fact that so many people responded positively to the textiles was, therefore, an important consideration for the art selection committee.

The existence of the collection has also become a greater public relations aspect for the corporation. As it grew and became known, the collection has been shown outside the confines of the corporation. It has becn exhibited at the Spoleto Festival and the Greenville Art Museum, portions have travelled as an exhibition to southeastern regional museums, and individual pieces have been lent to other institutions such as the Museum of American Folk Art.

Most corporate art collections are composed of paintings, prints, and sculpture. In large part this reflects the general view of most of the American public that art exists only in these specific media. The corporate officers, art consultants, and collection curators cannot be faulted for considering only these forms as art when these are the art forms taught in our schools at all levels and shown in our museums as works of art. Most instructors of art history define textile arts as a craft, and although crafts require great skill and can exhibit enormous beauty they are not generally considered a fine art. For these reasons then, it is not unusual that our friends who work in the field of art all mentioned the Liberty Collection when we asked about textiles; it sticks out like a sore thumb. When asked for the names of other corporate textiles collections, they were unable to provide any.

This is lamentable because, as is shown elsewhere in this issue (see Auctions), there are textiles which are world class works of art. Recently at Christie's, Central Asian suzanis sold in a $4,000 to $24,000 range; they all were from a private collection. Where could one buy world class paintings for that kind of money? But neither corporate officials nor art consultants are generally aware of or knowlegeable about textile art.

The Liberty Textile Collection provides an opportunity to show what can be achieved when a corporation or an individual chooses to collect textiles with a specific objective.

The Liberty Textile Collection is housed in the three buildings which comprise the headquarters of the Liberty Corporation, located at 2000 Wade Hampton Boulevard on the east side of Greenville. Lynn Nanney Roosevelt is the curator of the collection; she is responsible for the care and display of the pieces, and coordinates with Mr. Hilliard the selection of new acquisitions. Visitors who wish to see the collection are also her responsibility and so she is the person we saw and talked with on our visit.

The Liberty Textile Collection is comprised of textiles from many cultures around the globe. The focus of the collection has been on textiles of both historical and ethnographic interest from throughout the world, as a link with the textile activity of the Greenville region. According to an information sheet about the collection:

"The cultures, countries, and time periods represented in the collection are usually varied and include fifth century Coptic weaving from Egypt, Pre-Columbian works spanning the fourth to thirteenth centuries in Peru, and nineteenth century Indonesian silks. Recent emphasis has been on Middle Eastern textiles, such as prayer kelims, intricate saddle blankets and tapestry bagfaces, /"and on South American pieces, including Bolivian and Peruvian chiefs' ponchos."

For example, one of the first pieces we saw on arriving on the floor where Ms. Roosevelt's office is located is the Senneh kilim in Illustration I, which was in the elevator lobby. In her office a small Bakhtiari soumak bagface panel was framed on the wall. Several additional pieces were displayed in the reception area.

Ms. Roosevelt gave us a tour of the buildings so that we could see the variety of pieces in the collection. We were constantly surprised as we moved from one office to the next at the variety of materials which have been collected. It was obvious that at one point someone was very interested in weavings from Afghanistan. Included among other examples were Lakai Uzbeks seygusha -V-shaped silk embroideries -circa 1910; a Firuz Kohi silk soumak soffre or eating cloth, circa 1975; an Uzbek embroidered floor rug, circa 1950; an Uzbek suzani, circa 1900; and Kazakh donkeybag faces, circa 1930.

We refer to these particular items to show that age is not a major criterion for the selection of the pieces. In fact, they range from Coptic and Pre-Columbian weavings which are historical to weavings which are contemporary. Because of the variety of offices, from both decorative and curatorial requirements this range of material is displayed effectively.

One piece we recall quite vividly is a new Hausa blanket from Nigeria. This blanket, which is large, 95"x62" and which is published on page 60 in the catalog, is one of the most effectively displayed textiles in the buildings. A long glass corridor connects two of the buildings at an oblique angle. It is at the juncture that the Hausa blanket is hung.

The blanket is a strip woven piece with bright synthetic colors - red, orange, yellow, blues, white and black. When first seen at a distance of 100 feet, this piece looks like an acrylic painting or a glazed ceramic panel. It commands and fills the space most effectively and, because it changes its character depending upon viewing proximity or distance, it is a most striking art panel.

In visit of two hours, we were unable to see all of the collection because it covers a considerable area. Further, there are pieces displayed in private offices where it is not always possible to enter unannounced. Some pieces are in storage; it was in the storage spaces that we saw a late 19th century Kashmir shawl.

One unique aspect of this corporate collection is its availability. In many corporate art collections, the art works are hung only in the offices of top officials, not available to public viewing or even to the employees of the company. The Liberty Collection is unusual in its accessibility. Further, the fact that other than the upper echelons of management sit on the selection panel is most unusual, but the involvement of employees from all levels is largely the reason for the existence of a textile collection.

Not all the pieces in this collection are beyond criticism. Any collection this large is bound to have pieces which are less than ideal, not good quality, and totally miss aesthetically when judged by a knowledgeable panel, or miss being good representative examples of their types. Some pieces in the Liberty Textile Collection have faded over time because of their placement in overly lighted areas and no longer display, the colors for which they were probably purchased.

For example, it seems obvious that the pieces from Afghanistan were selected by someone who did not have a thorough understanding of the textiles of this area; they include pieces which range from the finest to the most ordinary. If one were assembling a collection of Afghan textiles to represent its culture, such a range might be appropriate; but in a collection such as this it is not, The new Firuz Kohi soffre (catalog, page 12), although a recent weaving, is exceptional in weave and design for the type. At the other extreme, the embroidered Uzbek floor rug which hangs in one of the lobbies is not exceptional. The piece has faded severely over the years, as would any piece given the overly sunny location in which it is displayed. But this entire group of Afghan weavings shows such extremes.

Conversely, the selection of Latin American textiles is excellent. It would seem that the person who selected this group was much more knowledgeable. The Pre-Columbian child's poncho, Illustration 5 (catalog, page 80), is a wonderful, complete weaving. The other fragmented pieces are also very fine examples.

We suspect that these differences reflect the knowledge of the individuals who were commissioned to buy for the collection over the years. In asking about acquisition dates and specific pieces, it is also obvious that the selection committee has improved over the years. As they have become more familiar with textile materials, they probably have been willing to spend more on individual weavin~s. This is a normal growth pattern that one sees in individual collectors as well. As one buys, more and more discernment is required as the price goes up, but with discernment comes finer appreciation.

The existence of some mistaken purchases from the past should not inhibit the continued growth of this collection. Once a collection reaches this stage, refinement should be one of the considerations of the selection committee. Some pieces might be deaccessioned, but the pieces which we have mentioned critically, such as the Uzbek embroidered rug, should probably be left where they are. The sun has done its damage, and its faded condition probably offers colors which many consider contemporary. It should also be recognized that many of these pieces probably did not cost as much as a business lunch written off years ago as a business expense. Just because a textile was bought to become a part of an art . collection should not mean that its cost to the corporation is of any greater significance than a business lunch, at least not at the cost of textiles.

All in all, we recommend the Liberty Textile Collection to our readers. Although it is not composed of rugs exclusively, there are many rugs from around the world of many different types. Most importantly, however, the collection offers an opportunity to see the variety in the broader field of textiles. We are pleased that there exists at least one corporation which has chosen to collect textiles for its art collection. As more corporate executives responsible for acquiring art for their own corporations see this collection, they will be struck by the wonderful variety, graphic design, and textural impact which woven fabrics exhibit as an art form.

Illustration 6. Prayer Kilim, Erzerum, Turkey, late 19th century, 79"x56", wool, cotton, metallic thread slitweave tapestry.

We have referred to a catalog of the Liberty Textile Collection. In 1980 a catalog with color illustrations of 40 textiles from the collection was published. In addition to the types of materials mentioned above, the catalog includes Chinese Mandarin robes, Indonesian ikats, Cuna molas, Gujarat kanthas, Mexican embroidery, a Bhutanese wrap, New Guinea string bags, and American quilts. This catalog is available for $15 from:

Ms. Lynn Roosevelt, Curator The Liberty Corporation Box 789 Greenville, SC 29602

Arrangements for viewings of the collection can be made by writing Ms. Roosevelt or calling (803) 268-8096.