Kente: Cloth of Asante Royalty

For centuries the Asante of central-west Africa have created special textiles to identify royal status and ritual associations within society. Among these textiles, kente (literally, "basket") cloth is the most widely known and recognized. Asante kings controlled kente cloth production, which was centered at Bonwire, a village near Kumasi, Ghana.

Kente cloth is made from several long, narrow lengths of independently woven strips of fabric, which are sewn together to form a large, rectangular cloth. Typically, each strip is 4 to 5 inches wide and 120 inches long. Approximately 20 to 24 strips are used to form a finished garment that measures 96 by 120 inches. These large garments are worn by men, wrapped around the waist and draped over the left shoulder and upper arm, while women wear a multi-piece garment, made from smaller pieces of cloth to form a bodice, skirt, and headwrap. Traditionally, the weaving and sewing was performed exclusively by male artists.

Each strip pattern has its own name and meaning. More than three hundred patterns have been identified and documented. Some patterns honor specific people, rulers, queen mothers, artists, families, historic events, or themes such as wealth, peace, and well being. Examples of pattern names include, "no man governs alone," "one thousand shields," or "skill is exhausted."

Kente cloth has become widely popular outside of Ghana, particularly in the United States, where the textiles and patterns continue to play an important role in social identity.

The works in this exhibition are on loan from Harriet B. Schiffer, Ph.D., LFS for Wonoo Ventures

Lyanne Malamed / Paintings and Drawings

Here the faces that are presented to the world are not always real "faces," but rather masks that are meant to hide panic, terror and fear from the rest of society and thus protect the dignity that is retained by these individuals. –L.M.

In this series of paintings and drawings, Lyanne Malamed presents a penetrating, sometimes painful, yet dignified image of older women. These images are not drawn from specific women or particular models, but are drawn from elements, memories, and imagination.

Some of the works represent women in masks, suggesting the roles we play throughout our lives. Others appear as part of a comic/tragic procession, or stand solemnly before a gold ground. Malamed uses gold leaf in many of her works where it creates the aura of a gothic painting. But unlike the golden age evoked by the gold leaf, the paintings are direct, and never sentimental.

Lyanne Malamed received her B.A. from Briar Cliff College, in Sioux City, and did graduate work in art at the University of Iowa. Malamed lives and works in Bridgewater, New Jersey. Her works are represented by Rabbet Gallery, in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

Clayton Merrell / Stephen Pentak - Landscapes

The landscape paintings by Clayton Merrell and Stephen Pentak represent different yet complementary views of the surroundings.  Pentak's broad horizontal compositions of rivers, streams, and oxbows suggest a sense of place and direct experience.  Merrell's landscapes present kaleidoscopic impressions of the surroundings without creating a sense of a specific place or view.  Pentak's paintings places the viewer among the grasses and streams while some of Merrell's works create the dreamy impression of lying on the grass and looking at the sky and trees swirling overhead.   Others by Merrell suggest aerial views and schematic diagrams.

This exhibition is provided through the courtesy of the artists and Sam Berkovitz Concept Art Gallery, Pittsburgh

Clayton Merrell, Pinwheel Sky, 2000

Stephen Pentak Ballenger Jones Creek, 2000

The Morans - The Artisty of a Nineteenth-Century Family of Painter-Etchers

MORAN EXHIBITION SCHEDULE

• Phillips Museum of Art, Franklin & Marshall College, October 4 - December 7, 2001
• The Morris Museum, Morristown, New Jersey, August 13 - November 17, 2002

Future sites to be listed as they are confirmed.

Comprised of 28 works (oils, watercolors, drawings, and prints), this exhibition considers the artistic relationships among the Morans, and features landscapes, seascapes, portraits, and genre scenes by several members of the family including Thomas, Edward, Mary Nimmo, Leon, and Peter. Highlights include recently discovered watercolors by Thomas Moran and Mary Nimmo Moran of eastern Long Island, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania; a previously unknown seascape by Edward Moran; and a trompe l’oeil painting by Peter Moran. All of the works on display are from the Worth B. Stottlemyer Collection, Juniata College Museum of Art. The show will tour to other venues.

The exhibition catalog by curator Nancy Siegel is available through the museum.

Thomas Moran, Ancient Ruins, After Shelly's "Alastor," graphite and brown ink, 1856, Worth B. Stottlemyer Collection, Juniata College Museum of Art