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Beadwork Across Cultures On View At Tarble on the Eastern Illinois University campus

? An exhibition of beadwork traditions from Native American, African, Caribbean, and Mexican cultures is currently on view at the Tarble Arts Center, Eastern Illinois University through January 7.

On display are 19th and 20th century beaded garments, bags, and other articles from Native American peoples of the Plains, Plateau, Subarctic, and Woodlands Culture Areas; pieces from West, south, and east African cultures; vintage and contemporary Haitian flags, and Huichol pieces from Mexico. Lenders to the exhibition are Ridge Art, Oak Park; The University Museum, Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville; and area private collectors.

Many of the objects in this exhibition were produced to not only be functional, but to have a ceremonial significance as well. The use of human, animal, and plant forms is consistent throughout the art of the indigenous Americans, emphasizing their reverence of the natural world. The spiritual touched every aspect of these cultures, from the planting of corn and the hunting of animals to the burial of the deceased. The beaded objects from Africa and Haiti reflect a similar connection to the natural world; some works reflect a belief system that centers on the crossroads between the natural and supernatural.

Co-curated by Dr. Martha Ehrlich, Professor of Art History at SIU-Edwardsville and Tarble Arts Center Curator of Education Kit Morice, the exhibition serves as the basis for the Fall 2006 Fifth Grade Enrichment Program. Offered annually at no cost in October and November to Jefferson Elementary School fifth grade students and their teachers, the program includes a guided exhibition tour followed by a hands-on workshop in which students will create a beaded dish inspired by the folk art of the Huichol of Mexico. The program is presented by EIU Art Education students enrolled in Art Education in Elementary Schools under the supervision of Dr. Patricia Belleville of the EIU Art Department and Kit Morice.

The Tarble Arts Center is located at Ninth Street and Cleveland Avenue on the Eastern Illinois University campus in Charleston. Open hours are 10am-5pm Tuesday-Friday, 10am-4pm on Saturday, and 1-4pm Sunday; the center is closed on Mondays. For information or to schedule a tour phone (217) 581-ARTS (2787). The Tarble Arts Center is partially funded by Tarble Arts Center membership contributions and by the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.