African textiles
Textile collection gives taste of African design
The
art displayed is from the personal collection of Wahlman, the result of an
excursion to Africa in 1973.
The collection consists of two African female
artists, Kadiatu Kamara and Nike Davies-Okundaye. Wahlman is the author of a
book titled "Contempory African Art," which goes into great detail and
has pictures of some styles that aren't displayed in the textile art exhibit.
A contemporary African textile
by Kadiatu Kamara and Niki Davis, part of "Contemporary African Textile
Designers," on display at the UMKC Gallery of Art through Feb. 22, 2005
A contemporary African textile by Kadiatu Kamara and Niki
Davis
Media Credit: Courtesy of UMKC Gallery of Art
Belger Arts Center for Creative Studies, 2100 Walnut St.,
Missouri Kansas USA
Maude Southwell-Wahlman, an art historian and professor here at
UMKC, is
currently hosting an African Textile Art display in the Fine Arts Building.
Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday; on
First Fridays from 6 to 9:30; and by appointment. Docents available. Call (816)
474-3250
Official site : Global
Arts University
of Missouri Kansas
Textile collection gives taste of African design
By Yarlisha Williams The
University News (subscription) - Culture Issue: 2/14/05
Kansas City,MO,USA
Both women used many different styles to design their art, including: Taka (Mandinka
term for tying), Seti (Mandinka term for sewing), Cloud (invented by Kamara
herself), and Kolingie (Mandinka term for combing).
Kamara is a textile artist from Sierra Leone, Africa. She started to learn about
the textile art form from her widowed mother as a child. Kamara quickly got a
reputation for the beauty and the quality of the fabrics she used in her work;
she began selling her art in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Kamara used fine fabrics
such as silk, cotton damask, and rayon satin, as well as the most rare and rich
colors: indigo and kola. She also has an eye for unique designs that had people
lining up to buy her pieces. A good example of Kamara's decorative pieces is
"Festival Dance," a depiction of an African festival utilizing indigo
to bring life to the cotton.
Most of Kamara's work is clothing; she makes Lappas, Mandinka for women's wraps.
Lappas are worn as wraps or blouses and sometimes taken to a tailor to be made
into shirts or dresses. When I first saw the pieces hanging on the walls I
thought how good they would look as skirts (before I even knew they were used
for skirts and other pieces of clothing). Erykah Badu, a neo soul artist, wears
a lot of wraps and head wraps; I really like her style and thought of her when I
saw some pictures of the artists in their native dress. On display were many
patterns that Kamara liked to use when making the wraps. One of my favorite
wraps was the "Fishbone" pattern; the piece contrasts light and
darkness together, and that made the already unique pattern, brought to life
with indigo and kola nut brown dyes, pop out.
Nike Davies-Okundaye is from the Yoruba culture (West Africa). Davies-Okundaye
started the Nike Center for Arts and Culture, which trains young artists in
visual as well as musical and performing arts. She is most known for her Adire
Textiles. A good example of her art is "Palm Wine Tapster." "Palm
Wine Tapster" is colorful, yet I didn't get a happy feeling from the piece.
That's not a bad thing, just interesting. Davies-Okundaye's art is translated by
her interpretation of her experience in Yoruba culture.
Davies-Okundaye also has on display samples of men's weave strips. The strips
are sewn together to make men's shirts.
The exhibit transports the viewer to Africa, as there is an African ambience
created by the textiles on display and African music playing softly and
rhythmically.
"Contemporary African Textile Designers" is on display at the UMKC
Gallery of Art in the Fine Arts Building through Feb. 22. Exhibit hours are
Wednesday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
For more information call 235-1501.
lwilliams*unews.com
Read also UMKC
Belger Arts or buy Wahlmann books:
African
Art David
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