Today the Museo Textil de Oaxaca is celebrating its seventh birthday with live music (of course!), nieves (ice cream), and an expo-venta of tie-dye and batik textiles from Nigerian born, Gasali Adeyemo. The exhibition and sale culminate a week-long artist-in-residence, in which he taught a 5-day workshop — I’m kicking myself I didn’t take it — and a Friday evening presentation, “African Blues, Mi Vida en Indigo” — which I did attend! Gasali’s work is spectacular and his face glows when he talks about the traditions, technique, and love that goes into his work.
Note the orange blouse above; it beckoned to me and I couldn’t resist buying it. The technique is batik on a brocaded cotton that has been dyed with the bark of a tree found in Nigeria. The name of the tree in the Yoruba language is Epo Ira, which, according to Gasali roughly translates to, “tonic iron tree,” as it is also used medicinally to cure iron deficiency.
By the way, for those of you who are going to the International Folk Art Market in Santa Fe, NM in July, Gasali and his beautiful textiles will be there.
Mexican Peso Converter
View From Casita Colibrí 
Yea, you definitely should have taken the workshop! I’m glad you bought that orange blouse – it’s beautiful! I wonder if he sells his work anywhere else?
If you were still here, I’m sure you would have talked me into it. 😉 He lives in Santa Fe, NM and can be contacted by phone: (505) 930-2397 or by e-mail: ileeru@hotmail.com.
[…] museum not only collects, preserves, and exhibits, it also holds workshops, lectures, expo-ventas (exposition and sales), and has provided a platform for issues of importance to textile artists, […]