This Focus exhibition explores the concept of interlacing through a display of nineteenth and twentieth-century textiles from West and Central Africa. Interlacing offers a way of understanding how cloth dyers and weavers have made textiles, including the creative approaches they have taken to join together materials and patterns. This exhibition also invites viewers to engage with the notion of interlacing beyond the context of textile techniques, and to consider interlacing as an idea, visual representation, and metaphorical expression. It discusses interlacing through African woven and dyed textiles worn as clothing, as well as the use of textiles in hats, masks, and currency.
This exhibition was developed in collaboration with contemporary fiber artist Beatrice Atencah, who is an MFA candidate in the IU School of Art, Architecture, and Design.
