PRINCE TWINS SEVEN-SEVEN

Prince Twins Seven-Seven and Henry Glassie with Prince’s sculpture’s painting, “Kissing Birds.”

Prince was one of Africa’s most famous contemporary artists, and was an original member of the acclaimed Osogbo School, named for the Yoruba town Osogbo, in southwestern Nigeria. Prince’s international fame garnered him exhibitions on every continent, and his work is in major museums around the world, including the Smithsonian Institution and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. In 2005, he was designated UNESCO Artist for Peace. He passed away in June of 2011.

Prince’s additional identity as a musician also put him forward as a spokesman for Yoruba culture. Prince’s highly individual methods draw their imaginative power from traditional Yoruba mythology, and the animals, plants, humans, spirits and gods that figure in his work represent complex forces in his own personal cosmology.

PRINCE TWINS SEVEN-SEVEN

Prince Twins Seven-Seven and Henry Glassie at the opening of the exhibition of Prince’s work in our gallery space. The opening occured in conjunction with the release of Henry Glassie’s book “Prince Twins Seven-Seven: His Art, His Life in Nigeria, His Exile in America.”

PRINCE TWINS SEVEN-SEVEN

Visitors to the exhibition “The Spirits of my Reincarnation Brothers and Sisters: The Art of Prince Twins Seven-Seven.”

PRINCE TWINS SEVEN-SEVEN

Visitors to the exhibition “The Spirits of my Reincarnation Brothers and Sisters: The Art of Prince Twins Seven-Seven.”

PRINCE TWINS SEVEN-SEVEN

Prince signing autographs at his exhibition. Prince’s additional identity as a musician also put him forward as a spokesman for Yoruba culture. Prince’s highly individual methods draw their imaginative power from traditional Yoruba mythology, and the animals, plants, humans, spirits and gods that figure in his work represent complex forces in his own personal cosmology.

PRINCE TWINS SEVEN-SEVEN

Henry Glassie, George Jevremovic and John McGuigan (clockwise from left), pictured with the dinosaur commissioned from Prince Twins Seven-Seven at the exhibition “The Spirits of my Reincarnation Brothers and Sisters” at Material Culture.

NATURAL DYEING EVENT

Robert Mann of Robert Mann Oriental Rugs came to Material Culture to demonstrate natural dyeing processes and techniques. We invited people to bring their carpets for Mr. Mann’s examination. In this photograph, Robert is talking about natural, versus synthetic, dyes.

NATURAL DYEING EVENT

A shot from our two-day natural dyeing event. Woven Legends dyers from Turkey produced forty to fifty shades of natural dyes, using only traditional plant sources. Here, Robert Mann is pictured creating green wool by a combination of daisies and indigo dyes. Indigo dyes need oxygen to set, which is why Robert is shown elevating the wool above the vat.

DREAMS OF MY BROTHER

Our long appreciation for the African folk and popular artists who hand-paint signs and banners for business, advertising, or personal expression, led us to conceive of an exhibition of found works centering on these African artists’ unique relationship to President Obama. Travels in Africa looking for art created during and leading up to Obama’s first year in office yielded this rich and varied collection, entitled “Dreams of my Brother: Visions of Obama by Folk and Popular African Artists.”

DREAMS OF MY BROTHER

The unveiling of the Obama ice sculpture at the exhibition “Dreams of my Brother: Visions of Obama by Folk and Popular African Artists” at Material Culture.