Friday, May 22, 2015

FIELD TRIP!!!!!!

 

Best thing about being retired/not working? Going on field trips in the middle of the week. On Wednesday we went to the Harn Museum of Art on the campus of the University of Florida in Gainsville.  Awesome place and it's FREE!!!!!!!! And photo are allowed without flash. We saw so much, the art will be in the next post, this post will be clothes and jewelry.


 The sign says it all. Kabas are a traditional form of dress in Ghana. They have been updated to awesome.  The dress in the left is from Chez Julie made in the late 1960's. The dress on the right is also Chez Julie and from the late 1960's. The fabric is called wax print.


 Christie Brown evening gown from 2010. Satin and wax print.

 Pistis dress, 2012. Lace, patchwork, wax print.


 Red carpet worthy evening gown by Pistis. 2011


 Brigitte Merki Kente-oke dress, 2011.


 Love this jacket. Brigitte Merki Kente-oke dress and jacket, 2011

 Traditional man's top.........................

 .....updated into a cute cocktail dress by Christie Brown, 2009

 My favorite. Ajepomaa Design Gallery cocktail dress, 2014. Woven  fabric from Burkina Fasso and wax print.

 Beautiful evening gown. Ajepomaa Design Gallery, 2011. Leather, wax print and studs.

 I don't have information on this one.


 Necklaces made from wax print fabric and feathers.

How could I not take pictures of jewelry? Here's a quiz: who do you see wearing these pieces? You get one guess and there isn't a prize.

 A beautiful necklace from Somalia. Sorry about the shadow.

 Hair combs and a crazy pair of earrings. Also from Somalia.


 Gold and jade necklace from Panama.

 Gold nose ring from Panama. 

There was also a local woman who makes kabas, but she wasn't there the day we went. This is a display of her fabric. Can you see President Obama on the bottom row?

I've said this before, but if you live near a major university and want culture, go to the web site and check out the art, music and theatre offerings. The shows are usually a lot cheaper (or free) than professional ones. You do have to take into account that some of the offerings will be student work. This art museum is not a student gallery, as you will see in the next post. 




5 comments:

  1. Some gorgeous batik fabrics here, and some of the designs are really lovely. The 1960s dresses and the evening gown with leather and studs particularly caught my eye.
    Of course Vix would rock the collars and Somalian necklace! xxx

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  2. I'm dying over that jewellery.
    Its a real shame that Ghanian waxed cotton has fallen out of favour with the West Africans. The market is flooded with second hand high street clothes from the UK which the charity shops here have no room for. The Africans are choosing to wear our cast-offs and spurning the traditional dress as its considered old fashioned and is very expensive. I love it. xxx

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  3. Oh yes, Vix in these necklaces for sure!
    Absolutely beautiful work here. The craftsmanship involved is mindblowing.

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