All too often, museum installations of African art gloss over the rich history and vibrancy of the living tradition of African apparel. At best, an installation might include a few examples of some tradition-based textiles on a wall in the background, or perhaps a selection of jewelry crowded into a vitrine at the side of the gallery. In glorious contrast, however, African Apparel: Threaded Transformations Across the 20th Century gave apparel and adornment of all types the center stage—blending these objects into a cohesive sampling of the richness, complexity, and artistry of dressing and embellishing the human body.
Curated by MacKenzie Moon Ryan, associate professor of art history at Rollins College, along with Rollins students Morgan Snoap '20 and Cristina Toppin '21, the works in the exhibition largely came from the expansive collection of African dress belonging to Norma Canelas Roth (Rollins '65) and William Roth. Several objects also came...