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Fowler OutSpoken Lectures--Enid Schildkrout and Dale Rosengarten--Grass Roots: African Origins of an American Art

Fowler Museum at UCLA, UCLA North Campus, Maps and Directions click here. 

Complementary lectures by co-curators Enid Schildkrout and Dale Rosengarten trace the development of African-American basketry. From its origins in Africa to its full flowering in coastal Carolina, the basket demonstrates how uprooted cultures reconstitute themselves in a new setting. Schildkrout starts with an overview of some of Africa's many basketry traditions, details the research involved in discovering the foundations of African-American basketry, and discusses how baskets in Africa have changed in recent times. Rosengarten examines the coiled basket's transformation in South Carolina over three centuries from a humble agricultural form to an acclaimed art. Nakia Wigfall joins Schildkrout and Rosengarten and discusses her heritage as a sweetgrass basket-maker. Image: Enid Schildkrout.

For questions, email fowlerws@arts.ucla.edu or call 310-825-4361.

Fowler OutSpoken Lectures--Enid Schildkrout and Dale Rosengarten--Grass Roots: African Origins of an American Art

10/03/2009

PRESS RELEASE: Grass Roots

Grass Roots: African Origins of an American Art, a highly anticipated exhibition created by the Museum for African Art in New York, opens on August 29, 2008 at the Gibbes Museum of Art in Charleston, South Carolina, and runs through November 30, 2008.  Through the story of the beautiful coiled basket, Grass Roots revisits the history of the southeastern United States and demonstrates the enduring contribution of African people and culture to American life. Featuring over two hundred objects, including baskets made in Africa and the American South, African sculptures, paintings from the Charleston Renaissance, historic photography, and new video, the exhibition follows the history of the coiled basket on two continents and shows how a simple farm tool once used for processing rice has become a work of art and an important symbol of African-American identity.

DVD: Grass Roots: The Enduring Art of the Lowcountry Basket

$20.00

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Grass Roots: African Origins of an American Art

$35.00

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Grass Roots: African Origins of an American Art

This guide approaches the study of history through the ancient craft and modern art of basketry. It encourages an interdisciplinary study by students as they integrate their understanding of history, geography, social studies, and art. While the importance of baskets as agricultural tools has diminished, basketry still serves as an expression of an artistic vision, cultural identity, and as a source of income for many people.

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