Community
Research: The Meanings and Uses of Kente in Atlanta
(Community Research | Add Your Own
Kente Memories | View Kente Memories)
Wrapped in Pride, on view at the Carlos Museum through June 16,
2002, includes a section on kente in the city of Atlanta. It illustrates
the many ways in which kente is used and what it means to people
here, showcasing Atlanta's own communities. We have been conducting
community research since the fall of 2000 to gather material for
this section, documenting the diverse uses and meanings of kente
cloth in Atlanta. Students from Atlanta universities developed
the project together with Dr. Corinne Kratz, Associate Professor
of African Studies and Anthropology at Emory University. Dr. Kratz
curated Wrapped in Pride at the Carlos together with Dr. Johnnetta
B. Cole, Presidential Distinguished Professor of African American
Studies, Anthropology, and Women's Studies at Emory. After the
exhibition, research materials will become part of a growing archive
on kente in the United States at the UCLA
Fowler Museum of Cultural History. You can help the Museum
continue its efforts to explore kente in Atlanta: where, when
and how it is used, and the rich cultural meanings that kente
holds for Atlanta's diverse residents.
How was the community research carried out?
The research team explored the meanings and uses of kente in Atlanta
in the following ways:
- Interviewed Atlanta residents and public figures about their
understandings and experiences with kente
- Photographed public events and venues where kente can be
found (e.g. public Martin Luther King Day or Kwanzaa celebrations,
shops, festivals)
- Photographed several personal, family celebrations (Kwanzaa,
weddings, etc.)
- Worked with area schools to document uses of kente during
Black History Month, graduation, and other occasions
- Borrowed selected kente objects found in Atlanta to include
in the exhibition, ranging from kente clothing, accessories,
dolls, and decor to artworks with kente
- Searched local archives for photographs that document early
uses of kente in Atlanta
- People are sharing their own experiences with kente on the
Kente Memories page
Add your own Kente Memories!
You can share your own kente experiences here by posting Kente
Memories -- whether it's a story about objects made with kente
cloth or patterns, kente stoles worn on special occasions, kente
purchased in Ghana, or any other form of handwoven or machine-printed
kente. Has kente marked a significant moment in your life? given
you a way to mark important social relations and occasions?
raised questions or debates for you? What does kente mean to
you? Tell us about it.
To post your Kente Memory, send a message to kente@learnlink.emory.edu
(with which you can also attach an image, or even a video clip!).
Along with your brief account, please include your name, address,
and phone number.
The Kente Memories Web Site is moderated; we will review postings
before they appear on the site and may edit or excerpt them
for length. Postings may be included in the research archive,
exhibition publications, educational materials, or public relations
associated with the exhibition. The Carlos Museum may contact
you about using your kente object or photograph in the Wrapped
in Pride exhibition opening in February 2002.
View Kente Memories!
Please visit our Kente Memories collection
to read kente experiences that have been posted by other visitors.
We expect this section to continue to grow through June 16,
2002 when the exhibition closes. Please see above
if you'd like to share your kente memories.
For more information about the Wrapped in Pride exhibition,
visit the exhibition
web site developed by the UCLA
Fowler Museum of Cultural History. For more information
about the Kente in Atlanta project, send an e-mail to kente@learnlink.emory.edu.
(Images from Wrapped In Pride: Ghanaian Kente and African
American Identity, published by the UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural
History, 1998.)
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