Immerse yourself in culture with an African and Southeast Asian textile exhibit, presentation

Experience and immerse yourself with the “Wrapped in Culture: Beyond the Aesthetics of African and Southeast Asian Textiles” exhibit.

The Center for International Collections [CIC] is hosting a presentation to go along with its display on Thursday, Oct. 3, from 2:30 – 4 p.m. for students, faculty and staff to embark on a journey through the fabric and tradition of tapestries in Africa and Southeast Asia.

Andrea Frohne, director of the School of Interdisciplinary Arts and professor of African art history, will be sharing her knowledge and thoughts during the event.

Although Frohne began with a focus on German Expressionism in graduate school, she eventually fell in love with African art history. For her whole life, her family had been involved with the interdisciplinary arts, as her father was a composer, and she would attend art museums, music concerts and dance performances.

Frohne explained that she liked the idea of University Libraries curating the textiles and clothing display and showcasing its dynamic form of communication since fabric designs can carry messages and illustrate concepts.

“Textiles are a form of art, and they can be so vibrant, elegant and beautiful,” Frohne wrote. “It is interesting to learn about cultural meaning embedded in them.”

The featured fabrics come from both the CIC’s extensive collection and personal collections of the OHIO community. Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines are just a few of the Southeast Asian countries represented on display. African traditional fabrics like Kente, Bogolan (mud cloth), Asooke and Shweshwe, as well as African wax prints and commemorative clothes, will be shown.

Araba Dawson-Andoh, subject librarian for African Studies and the social sciences, is curating the exhibit with assistance from Jeff Shane, Southeast Asia subject librarian, and helping to organize the event. Dawson-Andoh said that the exhibit showcases the diverse techniques, symbols and artistry of fabric making that define cultural heritages of the two world regions on display.

“Because both [regions] use fabrics to communicate their culture and traditions, the exhibit will show the different kinds of fabrics and what they mean,” Dawson-Andoh said.

She also mentioned that she wants to expose students and the OHIO campus community to other cultures and to further enlighten people on the topic by featuring an expert guest speaker on the subject.

“I just want people to learn about different cultures,” Dawson-Andoh said. “Normally when you travel, that's when you get exposed to different cultures, but this exhibit will allow people to be exposed to this aspect of Southeast Asian and African cultures without hassle, right in their backyard. They can experience these types of cultural stuff that they wouldn't have otherwise gotten to know without traveling.”

The event and exhibit are open to the public and will be held in the Center for International Collections on the first floor of Alden Library. Light refreshments will be served, and the event is open and free to all.

“I hope a lot of students will take advantage and come to the event,” Dawson-Andoh said.

To learn more about the presentation and exhibit, contact Dawson-Andoh at dawson-a@ohio.edu or Shane at shane@ohio.edu.