A Northwestern State University alumnus is one of 150 artisans from around the globe chosen from over 1,000 applicants to participate in the world-renowned Selvedge World Fair, Aug. 31-Sept. 5.  The five-day online event will present the work of 150 master artists from 78 countries bringing together varied, and in some cases endangered, textile traditions form around the world.

Jerry Hale of Breaux Bridge, a 1979 graduate of NSU, is one of a small group of worldwide artisans that have been chosen to participate in the Selvedge World Fair, which is based in London. Hale is president, CEO and The Southern Planter of Acadian brown cotton.  Since 2010,  he and his wife, Mary Alice Nicholson Hale, also an NSU graduate, have worked in the Bayou Teche region of south central Louisiana where his roots and his love for Acadian brown cotton are firmly planted in the soils bordering the Atchafalaya Basin. Hale’s roots run deep when it comes to the planting and production of cotton, as well as its historical roots and artistic value in a world market. Hale is a fourth-generation cotton planter, now referred to as “Mr. Brown Cotton” by local artisans, and prides himself being born and raised a grandson and great-grandson of sharecroppers in Rayville, a rural community in northeast Louisiana.

Although he enjoys hunting, fishing, traveling and gardening, Hale’s most prominent interest is reviving the tradition of the Acadian brown cotton.

The main focus activity of the Selvedge World Fair will take place Saturday, Sept. 4 with the broadcast of a 24-hour live event presented via Zoom from nine locations around the world.  The virtual microphone will be passed from country to country throughout the day, beginning in New Zealand at midnight and ending in Vancouver 24 hours later. Each satellite host will curate a 2-1/2 hour slot filled with talks, Q and A sessions, artisan interviews, studio visits, film screenings and more focusing on the indigenous textiles produced in that region.

Hale’s presentation at the Selvedge World Fair is scheduled for 2-4 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 4. Other presenters will include indigo dyers from Japan, basket makers from Swaziland, rug weavers from Uzbekistan, along with Hale’s presentation on Acadian brown cotton.

Visitors will be able to buy handmade treasures, take part in online workshops, listen to talks on textile related themes and watch 24 hours of live streamed Slow TV from Cusco Peru.

Tickets for the event and log-in can be found at https://www.selvedge.org/products/selvedge-world-fair-1-4-september-2021

For more information on Acadian brown cotton, contact Hale at AcadianBrownCottonofLouisiana@gmail.com

To learn more about how the Selvedge World Fair enables those who create handmade textiles to tell their

own stories and share their cultural heritage, visit https://www.selvedge.org.