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This exhibit is made possible by a JPMorgan Chase Regrant in partnership with the Council on the

Arts & Humanities for Staten Island (COAHSI).

Once, long ago, Nana Koragu & NanaAmeyaw, two master weavers fromBonwire, took a walk into the Ashan

forest. They saw a spider web woven with asingle unbroken thread, admired it and tried take it back home to study. The web stuck totheir ngers, collapsed, and the beautiful deswas ruined. Koragu and Ameyaw realized thno creature spins the same web twice andalthough they could not nd the same webagain, perhaps they could nd the same wea

They went back and found the spider weavina new design. They watched her closely as sweaved, gracefully, across and over the weblike a dancer. The spider showed them howweave intricate designs. They returned homeand redesigned their looms to make use of atheir body parts, imitating the spiders weavindance. The weavers copied the patterns theyobserved and created new ones. Koragu andAmeyas became the ofcial weavers for the

of the Ashanti people, King Oti Akenten.

T h e K e n t e C l o t h L e g e n

EVENTS

The Newhouse Gallery

November 6, 2010 - March 6, 2011

A K W A A B AWeaving Unity between Bonwire and Staten Is

W e a v i n g D e m o n s t r a t i o n sSaturday, November 20 (2-4pm)

Saturday, December 4 (2-4pm)

Saturday, December 11 (2-4pm)

Saturday, December 18 (2-4pm)

Ghana Independence Day Celebrat ion

Sunday, March 6, 2011

All Events are Free & Open to the Public

EVENTS

For more information please contact Christopher Mulcmule@statenislandarts.org

718-447-3329

To learn more please visit the following websites http://ghanaiancivicassoc.wordpress.com

http://www.statenislandarts.org/folkblog/

JOIN US AT

THE CULUTURE OF JOY & RESILIENCE:

REFRAMING CULTURAL CONVERSATIONS ON STATEN ISLAND

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My father always had me working, I think I built my first bookcase when I was nine years old. Iwast only woodworkinganything working with my hands.

_David Ricciardi, August 2010

I cannot tell you how it all startedyou are born into it, when you start walking they start sendyou get a threadbring this or bring that. Its like an apprenticeship job.

_ Anthony Oti Kegya, April 2010

The family of weavers, Anthony Oti Kegya, Francis

Marfo, and Nana Adu-Bofour left Bonwire to start a

new life. They had relatives on Staten Island and

grated here at different times over the past twenty years.

heir looms were back in Bonwire, and the only one that

ey knew of in the tri-state area was rickety and needed

ocks to hold it together. In 2008, Ghanaian leader,

amuel Owusu-Sekyere, introduced David Ricciardi, a

local carpenter, to the

family of weavers. A

professional carpenter

and native StatenIslander, Mr.Ricciardi

worked with the

weavers to build

and design a new

loom. In 2010, David

was commissioned

by Samuel Owusu-

Sekyere and the

family of weavers to

make two additional

looms with distinctinnovations. The

looms you see in this

exhibit are, perhaps,

the rst such looms

built in the United

States.

DuringWint2009, An

Oti Kegy

Francis

Marfo, N

Adu-Bofo

and Sam

Owusu-

Sekyere

begandocumen

and shar

their

knowledg

Kente cloth weaving from Bonwire with COAHSI folkl

Christopher Mul. These meetings and interviews led

them to rethink and reconnect with their cultural herita

and formalize their roles as cultural ambassadors of

Ghana on Staten Island.

The looms on displaywere built by Da-d Ricciardi of Staten

and. Born and raised

Staten Island. Hearned to build and cre-

e with his hands from

s family of artisans. He

llaborated in construct-

g the rst loom with Oti

egya, Francis Marfo,

d Samuel Owusu-

ekyere, in 2008. In 2010, Mr.Ricciardi designed two more

oms with innovations to make the loom portable, easy to

ore, durable, and lighter in weight.

Originally, Kente cloths were reserved for Ashantiroyaltythe Asantehene. The cloth is traditionaworn wrapped around the body. It eventually became

popular fashion and expression for the afuent in soc

and symbolize

achievement,

prestige, and

pride. Kente is

worn during

special occasi

such as festiva

weddings,funerals, and

celebrations. I

United States,

has evolved in

popular fashio

accessory, a

symbol of African heritage among the African-America

community, and a symbol and accessory of university

graduates and faculty worn on ceremonial gowns.