Kangas are a form of textile associated with Swahili-speaking cultures of East Africa. Their design is said to have been inspired by cotton handkerchiefs brought to the region by Portuguese traders. Local women stitched together two rows of three handkerchiefs … Continued
As the weather has been so lovely and sunny, Beth has chosen a theme of ‘time to get your hat out!’ She has drawn a finely woven split cane hat from the James Green collection in our World Art department. … Continued
Often regarded as “Nigeria’s first modern fashion designer” (Denzer, 2010a, p.332) Folashade (“Shade”) Thomas-Fahm created innovative garments which combined traditional Nigerian textiles and styles with a western silhouette. Her designs appealed to urban elites throughout southern Nigeria as well as … Continued
I have worked with the Royal Pavilion & Museums since the tender age of 15 (that’s over six years now!) but it is with a heavy heart this month that I have left for pastures new. Alongside my day jobs … Continued
Helen Mears, Keeper of World Art, reflects on the legacies of a colonial collection of photographs: its importance as a record of ethnic histories and use value to Myanmar’s minority communities today. She also discusses recent museum initiatives to record the … Continued
With the support of the Heritage Lottery Fund, through its Collecting Cultures scheme, Brighton Museum & Art Gallery has acquired a set of garments created by Clive Rundle, one of South Africa’s most important designers. The garments, part of a … Continued
Do you fancy an other-worldly experience? Join us for Angel Day on Saturday 10th February 2018 at Brighton Museum & Art Gallery. There will be singing workshops, the Interfaith Choir, live music, poetry, angel-related objects from the collection, art and … Continued
The World Art collection at Brighton Museum & Art Gallery includes a small group of textiles made by women living in refugee camps near the Thailand/Myanmar border, in the Mae Hong Son area. Most of these women identified with the … Continued
This Saturday we’ll be running a Wikipedia Edit-a-thon in Brighton Museum. Part of this year’s Brighton Digital Festival, it will be an opportunity for you to learn more about editing Wikipedia from a member of Wikimedia UK, a chance to … Continued
International Women’s Day is a worldwide event which celebrates the achievements of women, while also calling out for gender equality. On Monday the 13th of February a group of young women collaborated with Brighton Museum to explore issues such as … Continued
Helen Mears, Royal Pavilion & Museums’ Keeper of World Art, reports from a recent trip to Malaysia undertaken as part of her doctoral research at the University of Brighton into the use of heritage amongst overseas Kachin communities. Brighton Museum … Continued
This long-sleeved shirt formerly belonged to Charles Makhuya. In the 1970s Charles was a guerrilla / freedom fighter with the Zimbabwe People’s Revolutionary Army (ZIPRA), the armed wing of the Zimbabwe African People’s Union (ZAPU). Charles had been a ZAPU … Continued
Following Curator Jody East’s post last week about our Digital Ambassador’s programme for Fashion Cities Africa, Victoria Rodrigues O’Donnell has written about her experience working on the project. This post was originally published on Victoria’s own blog at http://victorydoll.blogspot.co.uk/ but … Continued
An update from me, Ruby McGonigle, on my experience so far as the person behind Fashion Cities Africa’s social media accounts. So, it’s been six months now since I joined the Fashion Cities Africa team (I can’t quite believe it … Continued
It’s been an incredibly busy few months for those of us working on the Fashion Cities Africa exhibition project and our Heritage Lottery Fund Collecting Cultures project. Through meetings with our consultants – including Helen Jennings and Hannah Pool – we’ve … Continued
A delve into Brighton Museum & Art Gallery’s African textiles collection… A few weeks ago I headed out to Brighton Museum & Art Gallery’s artefact store, a huge place filled to the brim with intriguing goodies, old and new. There … Continued
What a busy (but thoroughly enjoyable) weekend I had last week! Last Saturday I was lucky enough to be sent up to London’s Southbank Centre for a day at Africa Utopia. Africa Utopia, now in its third year, is a … Continued
July 2015 Well, it’s been just one short month since I joined the Fashion Cities Africa team on a Workforce Development placement from my usual role front of house, but already I’ve had tons of fun and have learned a … Continued
Last week, Duncan Clarke, an adire specialist and a dealer in West African textiles, visited Brighton Museum & Art Gallery. He viewed some of our textile collections from Sierra Leone, and has written a post on his own blog about … Continued
In shadows cast on a cloth screen, gods battle against agents of evil. Awe and divine inspiration unfold night after night through the Hindu epic of Ramayana. This act of religious devotion, often performed in front of a temple, also … Continued
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