Eleventh Annual GoodWeave Rug Raffle Features a Milton Glaser

GoodWeave USA has launched its 11th annual rug raffle, featuring a limited edition, child-labor-free certified carpet designed by world-renowned graphic artist Milton Glaser. For as little as $25, entrants have a chance to win the hand knotted, 80% silk “Fruits of Labor.” The 8’ x 10’ prize rug, donated by GoodWeave member company Lapchi LLC, has a retail value of $12,800. All proceeds benefit the nonprofit’s programs to end child labor in the rug industry and provide educational opportunities to children in the weaving communities of Nepal, India and Afghanistan.

“Fruits of Labor” is part of the exclusive Milton Glaser Collection, an extraordinary line of original carpets produced by Lapchi, a pre-eminent rug company based in Portland, Oregon and longstanding member of GoodWeave. The collection was exhibited in its entirety this spring at the Santa Monica Museum of Art.

This unique collaboration with Lapchi represents Glaser’s first foray into textile design. Glaser's iconic designs include the “I ♥ NY” campaign, a poster used for Bob Dylan’s “Greatest Hits” album, DC Comics’ “DC bullet” logo, and the Brooklyn Brewery logo. Glaser is represented in the permanent collections of the New York Museum of Modern Art, the Smithsonian Institute and the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum.

Fruits of Labor,” as well as the other 15 designs in the Milton Glaser Collection, was woven in Nepal with hand spun Tibetan wool and luminous silks using the traditional Tibetan sena knot. Untouched by chemical washes or bleach throughout production, each pattern draws on a custom palette to capture the vibrancy and nuance of Glaser’s designs. Like all Lapchi rugs, “Fruits of Labor” is GoodWeave certified, meaning it was made on a loom that is frequently and randomly inspected to ensure no children were exploited in its making.

Every ticket purchase brings GoodWeave USA and its 90 rug company members one step closer to ending child labor in the rug industry. Raffle tickets are $25 each, five for $100, 10 for $200, 25 for $500, 50 for $1,000 or 125 for $2,500.

Individuals may purchase tickets at www.GoodWeave.org/Raffle or by contacting the GoodWeave office at 202-234-9050. The drawing will be held by GoodWeave in New York City in September 2012. Entrants need not be present to win.