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9/26/05

YORUBA TEXTILES IN BRUSH GALLERY EXHIBITION AT SLU

CANTON - The exhibition "Cloth Only Wears to Shreds: Yoruba Textiles and Photographs from the Beier Collection" will be in the Richard F. Brush Art Gallery at St. Lawrence University from Thursday, October 6, through Thursday, November 3.

The exhibition was organized by the Mead Art Museum at Amherst College from its permanent collection, with guest curators Rowland O. Abiodun and John Pemberton III. On Thursday, October 20, a lecture on the exhibition will be given by Abiodun, John Newton Professor of Fine Arts and Black Studies at Amherst College, at 4:30 p.m. in Room 123 of the Griffiths Arts Center. The event is open to the public, free of charge; it is funded by the Jeanne Scribner Cashin Endowment for Fine Arts.

"In Yoruba culture and religion, the significance of cloth goes beyond body covering to express a rich and profound belief system," the exhibition catalog states. "In its creation, the color, weave and design of cloth reflect the aesthetic sensibilities and character of the artist and of the future owner. Extensive use of opulent materials in a garment conveys the power and authority of the wearer. Cloth not only defines the identity of the individual and family, but also evokes the ancestors, thus creating a metaphorical link between the living and the dead. Fabric, which the Yoruba believe outlives its owner, can disintegrate but cannot disappear from the material world. 'Cloth only wears to shreds' - a refrain from an Ifa divination verse - refers to this deathless, eternal quality."

For more information or to arrange individual or group tours, contact the gallery at 315-229-5174.

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Fine Arts Department at St. Lawrence