Renewing Material and the Handmade: the Story of Ugandan Bark Cloth

Start date: Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Event is ongoing: Until Sunday, February 20, 2011

Organized by Lesli U. Robertson, Adjunct Professor, Fibers

Renewing Material and the Handmade: the Story of Ugandan Bark Cloth presents the centuries-old process of making cloth from the bark of mutuba trees in Uganda, Africa. Throughout the project, community and university programs explore the use and value of bark cloth in its many contexts to encourage an appreciation for this material's journey from origin to contemporary relevance.

Today the process of making bark cloth persists in the realm of the a handmade and has enjoyed a cultural resurgence. In 2005 UNESCO named Ugandan bark cloth a “masterpiece of the oral and intangible heritage of humanity,” and scholars and artists have begun to study its history and meaning, as both a cultural legacy and a contemporary resource. The project will culminate in 2011 with an exhibition and publication that provide an historical overview of bark cloth material culture.

Check back for ongoing events from Fall 2008 through Spring 2011.

This project is supported in 2008-2009 by the CVAD Gallery & Visiting Artist and Scholar Committee, the UNT Fine Arts Series, the Greater Denton Arts Council and a grant from the Texas Commission on the Arts.

Artwork: Lesli Robertson experiencing the process of making bark cloth in Kanabulemu, Uganda, 2007