Gala: Importance of Indigo in Malian Culture

I presented Gala: Importance of Indigo in Malian Culture, this short paper, virtually at the 12th International Convention of Asia Scholars (ICAS12) in Kyoto, Japan. The cultivation and weaving of cotton dates back more than a thousand years in Mali, as do the techniques for processing and dyeing with indigo which grows wild and is also cultivated. Archeological excavations at …

Segou’Art 2021

I was in Mali in February and March to exhibit my welded steel book sculptures at Segou’Art. Segou’Art I Festival on the Niger is a contemporary art fair on the banks of the Niger River. It brings together artists, gallerists, collectors, art lovers and art critics around the works of young emerging talents and established artists from Africa and elsewhere. The mission …

Bogolan Workshop

Each year, the Friends Academy Middle School comes together as a whole community for an Arts Celebration. Goldner taught a four day Bogolan Workshop. The first day included an introduction to bogolan, history, uses, symbols. Students experimented with clay slip from Mali on a small cotton cloth. The second day, students worked on a larger cloth. On the third day, …

KAWRAL: Malian Visual Artists contribute to Mali’s REVIVAL

We are pleased to announce the publication of a catalogue to document the visual artists’ residency which took place in Mali in April, 2014. KAWRAL was an artistic residency that took place in Mopti in March, 2014. 25 professional artists from throughout Mali worked for three weeks on the themes Reconciliation, Peace and Social Cohesion. Works produced during the residency …

Lecture: Threatened World Cultural Sites: The Silk Road & Mali

ArtTable The World Monuments Fund lists 67 cultural sites still threatened in 2014. ArtTable members Marla Mossman and Janet Goldner have intimate understanding of the issues in respective geographical areas: Marla on The Silk Road, and Janet on Mali. Each is an artist and a cultural ambassador to these areas of the world that have important and impressive ancient cultural …

Roundtable: Reflecting on the Ways Forward in Mali

This roundtable assembled a variety of academics and policy makers working in Mali in different areas, and from different perspectives. We come together to discuss ways to build a durable peace, responsible government and vibrant civil society in Mali. Part 1 focused on the political, military, and economic dimensions of the crisis and the future and included Greg Mann, historian, …

Lecture: UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Mali

The African Section of the African and Middle Eastern Division at the Library of Congress presents UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Mali a lecture by Janet Goldner, Scholar and Sculptor The African & Middle Eastern Division Reading Room LJ-220 Thomas Jefferson Building 10 First St. SE Washington, DC 20540 Here’s a link to a videocast of the lecture. For additional information …

Transcultural Collaborations: Collapsing Distance, Transforming Home

Transculture refers to the act of uniting people from different backgrounds and cultures in an effort to exchange varied perspectives and contexts. An exchange of this sort can potentially yield global/universal similarities and specific cultural differences. It is a way for people to think together while contributing beliefs and strategies from their individual experiences. Careful attention must be paid to …

Common Threads: Groupe Bogolan Kasobane, Gee’s Bend Quilters in Residence

Common Threads brought together artists of two of the world’s most vibrant contemporary textile traditions: The Quilters of Gee’s Bend and the Groupe Bogolan Kasobane, bogolan masters from Mali. This visual art performance/demonstration featured artists of the two traditions working simultaneously on their respective art pieces during the course of a week-long residency. Panel discussions and lectures explored each art …

Institute for Wishful Thinking

As self-declared Artists in Residence for the US Government, The Institute for Wishful Thinking (IWT) believes that the community of artists and designers possesses untapped creative and conceptual resources that could be applied to solving social problems. Proposals are posted to the IWT website to generate interest and funding for a pilot version of the project—placing artists in residence with …