Weya 6 Panel Story Quilt Life in Africa Zimbabwe

We do not recommend laundering textiles, and do not accept returns of textiles which have been laundered in any manner. Even dry cleaning is too much for some of these antique textiles. For some of them, a very gentle HAND washing (NEVER MACHINE, on any setting) in cool water with a very gentle detergent works, but even then, dyes may not be colorfast, and fabric may be less strong than it appears.

Note from Artist:

Title: "Life in Africa"

Panel 1: Two women are fetching some water with clay pots.

Panel 2: Husband and wife are pounding some maize ready for the grinding meal.

Panel 3 : A woman is washing some cloths at home.

Panel 4: A man and a woman are fetching some firewood in the bush.

Panel 5: Two women are visiting friends in the village.

Panel 6: A woman is molding some clay pots for selling.

***Note will be tucked away in quilt when shipped.

This Weya 4-panel strory appliquéd quilt depicts sequences of what everyday life looks for a woman in a Zimbabwean village. withthe Weya quilt we introduce our customers to a type of African artistic expression that has been strongly influenced by ''Western art‚Äù. In the past, critics have regarded Western influence as producing less valuable African art than the traditional and ritual "indigenous" art of Africa. However, Contemporary artistic output now appearing as a result of the interplay between Western and African cultures is enjoying new popularity with collectors and museums. This evidences not only the charm and intrinsic appeal of the object, and the imagination of the creator-artist, but also shows how the forms of art from Africa are continually changing, adding new flavor, and taking on new function. It is relevant to note that African art has known several trends: the ritual art, called traditional and created by the local artist, usually the blacksmith; its practitioners included artist-carvers who did not go to school to learn their art. A second trend is led by African artists trained by European artists during the period of Western colonialism; these artists produced remarkable art work. Still another group of African artists are those who are self-taught and who produce paintings, sculpture and fabrics of great quality. The Weya quilt is a product of a group of women living in rural Zimbabwe who were taught by the European artist Ilse Noy. Ms. Noy came to Zimbabwe in 1984 as a member of the German Volunteer Service. After working for three years at the Cold Comfort Weaving Co-operative on the outskirts of Harare, Ilse moved to Weya, a small communal area in Zimbabwe . There she taught local women sewing and painting skills, and appliqué and embroidery techniques. Today the Weya quilt workshop has become a veritable industry and the quilts are sold across Zimbabwe, in neighboring countries, and in fact, all over the world. The diverse themes depicted on the quilts reveal many aspects of the Weya women's culture. The quilt-makers have in effect translated their daily life into their works, alluding to their marriage, their husband and children, sexuality, death, spirits, ancestors, hopes and worries. The quilts are inspiring expressions of humanness and have proved to be great sources of revenue for the brave artists who make them.

AG0523