NEH on the Road: Wrapped in Pride

FAIN: MR-50030-08

University of Richmond (Richmond, VA 23173-0001)
Elizabeth Schlatter (Project Director: June 2008 to January 2014)

Kente cloth, made by the Asante peoples of Ghana and the Ewe peoples of Ghana and Togo, is the best known of all African textiles. Kente began as festive dress for special occasions and appears in other important forms of regalia, including drums, shields, and fans. Over the past forty years, the cloth has been transformed into other accessories worn and used on both sides of the Atlantic. In the United States, kente strips may be sewn into liturgical and academic robes or used as designs on everything from Band-Aids to beach balls. Wrapped in Pride: Ghanaian Kente and African American Identity bridges two continents, evoking and celebrating a shared cultural heritage. The exhibition explores both the art and symbolism of kente in the cultures of Africa and its expression of identity in African American communities. The exhibition will open 10/22/08 and closes 11/23/08 in the Lora Robins Gallery of Design from Nature, University of Richmond, free and open to the public.