#african textiles

Made in Kenya | Visuals for Ichyulu, an online African Fashion Concept Store

Photography by Brian Siambi, Creative Direction & Styling by Eve Mungwe, Modelling by Lizzy Nyajuok and Make Up by Sally Shadeya

The Founders Project is a multimedia installation project headed by Boston based artist and educator Stephen Hamilton. The project re-imagines Boston Public School High-School students as the legendary founders of the West and West-Central African ethnic groups, that are part of the ancestral base for the African diaspora. The pieces will incorporate painting, weaving and sculpture traditions from each of the spotlighted ethnic groups and are to be installed in a to be determined public space in Boston. The project will contribute to a larger syllabus on West African cultural continuity in the African Diaspora designed for High School students.

The Founders Project comes out of a desire to both address the persistent lack of Pre-Colonial African Narratives in mainstream educational discourse and to create empowering visual representations of Boston’s Black Youth. This project both explores and interrogates popular conceptions of “the Ancestors” within the African Diasporic imagination. We explore the concept of the progenitor or “Founder” in West and West Central African Lore as the physical embodiment of a people and their history. Through their narratives, we learn important lessons about the cultural imperatives, worldview, and aesthetics of the ethnic groups who venerate and sometimes even worship them as divine ancestors. Each piece dissects important key symbols pertaining to each of the highlighted individuals personal and broader cultural narratives, glossing not only the historical figure but the cultures that claim them as ancestors.  The installations will also expose viewers to the beauty and complexity of the visual arts of west and central Africa. Each piece incorporates accurate handmade reproductions of textile and sculpture arts from specific African ethnic groups, using only dyes, pigments, and materials available in Pre-Colonial Africa. This Juxtaposed with western styles of acrylic painting will result in new works that draw from both ancient African aesthetic conventions and the rich, contemporary and syncretic mural traditions born out of the Black Arts Movement. Be Sure to visit http://www.itanproject.com/the-founders-project/ to learn more!  @okayafrica-blog @supportblackart@africanartcollector@afroklectic@africanartagenda

PLEASE READ!!!I am happy to announce that I have raised $3,300 of my $5000 goal to print and distribute Itan: Part One a graphic novel based on Yoruba Oral Literature. This project has been my dream since I was 17 years old. Now is the time to make it a reality! We are so close! But I still need your help and support. Help me bring this manifestation of west African, art and thought to life. Visit itanproject.com and preorder your copy today!!!!. Special thanks to @nutrasheena for the video!!!!!!. 

@supportblackart @menofcolorinfantasyart

Join us fpr the opening celebration of Stitched Into Memory!!! Celebrate the incredible collaborative work of young Artists from around Boston. The event will take place from 2-5pm at 290 congress st Boston, Ma on Saturday July 29th!!!

Hey Everyone! Check out the sneak peak for Chapter 2 of Itan: Part one! A graphic novel rooted in traditional Yoruba oral literature! Visit Itanproject.com to pre-order your copy and to see a preview of the latest pages! Join me on a journey through West African philosophy and aesthetics. Support Itan: Part One today!!

stitchedintomemory:

Hello everyone! This past week our team dyed the Adire and yarns we have been preparing over the last month. All the hours of tying and stitching culminated with us dyeing using indigo and Guinea Corn leaves (Oka Baba). We were blessed with perfect weather and some beautifully dyed Items that will be incorporated into the final installation. The pieces incorporated dyeing techniques from all over west Africa including “Adire Alabere” (stitch resist) techniques from Nigeria. “Gara” kola nut and Indigo over dyeing techniques from Gambia and Sierra Leone and over dyed tie and dye handwoven textiles drawn from Dyula and Baule textiles from the Ivory coast. Stay tuned as our project continues to develop!     

Although I havent posted updates in a while i am still hard at work finishing Itan: part one a graphic novel based yoruba oral literature. Please visit https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/itan-part-one-africa-art/x/15991312#/. We still have long way to go to reach our goal. Please support Itan: Part one today!