Coming in to North Central, Taylor Mithelman did not expect to spend part of her senior year alone, in Ghana. Mithelman now gets to share her knowledge of the weavers in Ghana through an exhibit in Oestrle Library.
Mithelman’s exhibit shows textiles made by the people of Kpetoe, Ghana. This is where she learned to weave and did her research. She spent two weeks in Kpetoe interviewing the weavers in-depth and learning about the weavers’ personal experience with kente.
“The exhibit title ‘Agbamevo’ means ‘loom-cloth’ in Ewe language,” said Mithelman. This is now known as kente and is said to be unknown outside of the weaving communities.
The exhibit also compiles photos of the weavers and the looms they create the textiles on. Mithelman chose to research this aspect of their culture because she wants people to see the personal human outlook of Africa.
“My biggest goal for deciding to research the topic and present it in this way, was to expose people to a different view of Africa than you would get from the media,” said Mithelman.
Mithelman’s favorite photograph in the exhibit, is a photograph of Gbordzi Yawaa.
“Her skirt happened to match the color of the wrap and the shutters behind her that day,” said Mithelman. “It just really brought out the bright hues of blue and yellow which are an excellent representation of her vibrant personality.”
One of Mithelman’s main goals is for those who experience her exhibit is to learn something. She understands that many people don’t know about the weavers or their culture in Africa. She hopes that exhibit visitors get to experience Ghana through her eyes.
This exhibit invites its viewers into a community we don’t see often.
“The way they are presented in the media is often in the form of war, famine, or poverty,” said Mithelman. “I just wanted people see the human side of it…that’s why I included the portraits.”
When talking about her work, she put emphasis on how grateful she was for all of the weavers who helped her in Ghana.
Mithelman’s favorite physical piece of her exhibit is the kente marriage cloth on display.
“The method of weaving employed is the most complex that I witnessed and I feel that it demonstrates how talented they are at what they do.” Mithelman explained that it was very difficult to learn how to weave.
When thinking of life after she graduates, Mithelman is keeping an open mind. After taking off a year when she is done with her time at NCC, she is planning on attending graduate school. Her goal is to pursue anthropology in the form of a Ph.D. program. She wants to explore this topic from a different perspective.
“Most of this topic’s research has been in art history so there isn’t much on it yet, my interest is in the community of the weavers and the culture surrounding it,” said Mithelman. In the future, Mithelman wants to study the politics of power and the context of national politics in Africa.
“My advice to students who want to conduct independent research is simply to just do it,” said Mithelman. “In my experience it teaches you far more about what you might want to do with your future than many classes might.”
