Africa Honors Women
Just in time for the holidays, ABC Carpet and Home has launched a store-wide installation, “Power to Women: Our Most Precious Resource,” that focuses on women’s role in the arts, crafts, and culture of Africa. The centerpiece of the installation is an exhibition of about 50 life-size marionettes {See next page} from the Phansi Museum in Durban, South Africa.
The marionettes are clad in full ceremonial costumes from various tribes and social strata of South Africa from the 1950s to the 1980s, and the garments are astounding in their intricate beadwork (and feathers, woven textiles, and leatherwork) in dizzying colors and patterns. There are also plenty of products that the store’s buyers have selected from all over the continent: one-of-a-kind hand-woven baskets from Nigeria and Zimbabwe; handbags made by women in Rwanda; hand-woven indigo fabrics, shawls and pillows from Mali; and surprisingly modern recycled steel furniture from South Africa, to name but a few. Read More [via Link]
