What is ACOR?

The American Conference on Oriental Rugs is a non-profit organization established for the understanding and appreciation of oriental rugs and textiles through its bi-annual conferences and its member rug and textile societies throughout North America.

Every two years ACOR sponsors a three-day conference in a major US city for the continued advancement of, and education about, oriental rugs and textiles. ACOR conferences feature approximately 28 one hour focus sessions addressing a wide variety of subjects of interest to collectors, dealers, academics and enthusiasts that comprise the "rug world". The subjects are diverse, ranging from general surveys of tribal and village rug and textile groups to specialized exploration of subjects such as carpet identification, rug restoration, textile esthetics, effects of light, natural dyes, design origins, and rug books.

ACOR conferences are accompanied by memorable exhibitions at various museums, art centers and rug dealers within the host city.

A central feature at each ACOR conference is the ever popular "Dealers' Row", where more than 40 dealers from North America, Europe and Asia specializing in fine antique carpets and textiles create a magnificent bazaar setting.

How ACOR got started

ACOR's beginnings go back to November of 1990, when the rug world was gathered in San Francisco for the Sixth International Conference on Oriental Carpets (ICOC). A small group of rug enthusiasts held a discussion regarding the possibility of a North American based conference that culminated in the creation of the first American Conference On Oriental Rugs (ACOR 1) held in Boston, Massachusetts, at the beginning of 1992.

The committee's carefully conceived format was to set the precedent for all of the ACORs to come. The guidelines they formulated were straightforward: focus sessions intimate enough to give everyone a close look at the textiles being discussed, a smaller attendance than the large international conferences, an informal, friendly atmosphere in which questions and discussion were encouraged following each talk, and an emphasis on seeing and handling rugs, rugs and more rugs. Speakers were encouraged to minimize their use of slides and to bring as many pieces as possible for demonstration and display.

Prior Conferences

ACOR 1	1992 - Boston, Massachussetts. Host: New England Rug Society.
ACOR 2	1994 - Chicago, Illinois. Host: Chicago Rug Society.
ACOR 3	1996 - Santa Monica, California. Hosts: Textile Group of Los Angeles and Textile Museum Associates of Southern California.
ACOR 4	1998 - Denver, Colorado. Host: Colorado Textile Group.
ACOR 5	2000 - San Francisco, Caqlifornia. Host: San Francisco Bay Area Rug Society.
ACOR 6	2002 - Indianapolis, Indiana. Host: Rug and Textile Society of Indiana. Links: Dealers' Row Participants
ACOR 7	2004 - Seattle, Washington. Host: Seattle Textile and Rug Society. Links: Dealers' Row Participants
ACOR 8	2006 - Boston, Massachusetts. Host: New England Rug Society. Links: Dealers' Row Participants