Conversation Pieces African Textiles From Barbara And Bill Mc Cann's Collection

This well-illustrated publication explores the vital role played by conversation and communication in the acquisition, appreciation, and exhibition of sixty-seven pieces from the collection of Barbara and Bill McCann. Whether created to commemorate particular events or individuals, offer protection, identify a rite of passage, or as emblems of prestige, textiles and clothing are actively employed throughout the African continent to express concepts of identity, history, and community. Accordingly, they are deeply embedded in African social and political lives. While certain common social, political, and aesthetic trends exist across this vast continent, it is essential to keep in mind the diversity of regions, cultures, climates, and geographies that constitute Africa. With communication as its theme, the authors consider the multitude of ways that African textiles initiate dialogue about and between people in Africa and elsewhere. Catherine Hale is Curator of African and non-Western Art at the University of Iowa Museum of Art. Pius Adesanmi is winner of the inaugural Penguin Prize for African Writing (2010) for his book “You’re Not a Country, Africa.”