Gara Cloth: The Colors of Sierre Leone at USU's Museum of Anthropology

The vibrant colors and designs of Gara cloth are the topic of the next presentation at Utah State University’s Museum of Anthropology Saturday, Feb. 12, and the “Saturdays at the Museum” series.

Guest speaker for the day is Sara Jordan, who is featured in a presentation at 1 p.m. She will highlight the history and tradition of making Gara cloth in the African nation of Sierra Leone.

Gara — the name of the leaf of the Indigo plant — dying is a very old tradition in many parts of West Africa, particularly Sierra Leone. It is a natural way to create vibrant cloth designs that are used for clothing and home linens.  In recent years, synthetic dyes have become more popular and some are concerned about the environmental and health implications of this, particularly for women who are the primary dyers, the Saturday event organizers said.

In her presentation, Jordon considers ecological, social and economic issues related to gara dying in the post-war African country. The discussion will serve as context for a visual presentation on the art and craft of the colorful cloth and the process to make it so.

While Jordon’s presentation begins at 1 p.m. at the museum, there will be free headband tie dying and paper weavings for children throughout the day.

The USU Museum of Anthropology is on the USU campus in the south turret of the historic Old Main building, Room 252.

In addition to its Saturday program hours, the Museum of Anthropology is open to USU students and members of the public six days a week, with regular hours Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturdays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free. For Saturday activities, free parking is available in the adjacent lot, south of the building.

Funding for Saturday events is provided by a grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services. More information about the IMLS is available online.

For more information about this event, call museum staff at (435) 797-7545 or visit the museum website.

The Museum of Anthropology is part of the Anthropology Program at USU.

Related links:

• USU Anthropology Program
• USU Department of Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology
• USU College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Source: Museum of Anthropology

Contact: USU Museum of Anthropology, (435) 797-7545, anthro.museum@usu.edu