Art to Walk On
Located on Historic Palm Avenue downtown Sarasota, Art to Walk On Inc. is a unique rug store, that carries carpets from around the world. Antique, Traditional, Transitional or Modern, all of their carpets are unique pieces of art, all are hand knotted, most are dyed with indigenous vegetable dyes and woven with hand spun wool. Carpets are in stock from Persia, Turkey, Afghanistan, Ireland, France, Tibet, Nepal and pre–Communist China. There is a large selection of Antique carpets from palace size to small area rugs and includes 16th century tapestries, rare Napoleon ll French Aubusson rugs, 19th century Armenian carpets and Irish Donegal carpets to name a few.
Art to Walk On are exclusive agents for the three top award winners at Domotex, the International carpet trade show held in Hanover, Germany each year: Woven Legends® Turkish rugs, Wool and Silk Rugs, and Zollanvari®.
The owner of Art to Walk On Eileen Hampshire was born and educated in Lancashire England. She emigrated to Canada where she married and was actively involved in a second-generation Oriental rug business in Montreal. She completed her formal education in 1988 when she received her BFA in Art History from Concordia University. The focus of her studies was the Art History of the Carpet Weaving Areas of the Ancient Near East. The subject of her dissertation: Oriental Carpets in Venetian Renaissance Paintings.
Mrs. Hampshire has a particularly keen interest in the identity, construction and restoration of hand knotted textiles. She has studied and written articles on dyeing wool with natural vegetable dyes; learned and taught the various techniques used to identify and repair antique hand knotted textiles; and is a guest lecturer on all aspects of antique and modern Oriental carpets.
Eileen Bedoukian Hampshire, following 36 years of involvement in a second-generation Oriental rug business, founded Art to Walk On, Inc. in 1988. She opened a showroom in Montreal, Quebec, where she consulted with Architects, Interior Decorators and individuals on the acquisition of antique and rare carpets.
Eileen has been a member of:
- The International Society of Fine Arts Appraiser’s
- The Twistle Guild of hand spinners and weavers
- The Montreal Carpet Appreciation Society (past president)
- The Armenian Rugs Society (past president)
- Sarasota Chamber of Commerce Trustee
She has presented papers at International conferences:
- La Maison Armenienne De La Jeunesse et de la Culture, Marseille, France, 1988
- The VII International Conference on Oriental Carpets, Hamburg, and Berlin, Germany, 1993
- The X International Conference on Oriental Carpets, Washington, D.C., 2003
Art to Walk On chooses each carpet for its’ unique qualities, usually for a specific client. Carpets are never bought by the bale or by telephone. Art to Walk On’s approach is to meet with you to determine your needs, taste and budget then to show you in the context of your own surroundings and with example, the carpets which are ideally suited to your needs. If the ideal carpet is not in inventory, one or two are located for you to try on your premises for a few days.
Art to Walk On deals not only in beautiful decades old antique carpets but also the “cream” of modern Production from associates in Iran, Turkey, Afghanistan, Tibet, Nepal, Pakistan, and Ireland. Art to Walk On’s contacts span the globe.
Stop in and see their collection.
Customer Review:
“Eileen’s downtown storefront has been a staple in Sarasota. I’ve always found her more than happy to share her wealth of experience with rugs around the world, and you’ll never find better quality antique, contemporary and made-to-order rugs in a boutique gallery.
Her gallery *cleans* quality rugs, too, at a very reasonable price.” – Steve Ebitda
“The best rugs in town, especially for travelers or historians; people that appreciate fine craftsmanship as opposed to mass reproduced cheap copies that most of us have.” – Matt Wilson
“Eileen is gracious and very helpful. This gallery has fine hand knotted rugs, many investment quality. I recommend Art to Walk On to many clients.” – Kay Grimes
Address:
16 South Palm Avenue,
Sarasota, Florida 34236
941-951-5454
Website: