Amazigh Women’s Arts: Visual Expressions of Berber Identity
Start date
Thursday, December 14, 2017, 12:30pmEnd date
Thursday, December 14, 2017, 2:30pmLocation
2400 Third Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55404
United States
Until the mid-20th century, Berber women in North Africa created and wore the aesthetic and symbolic forms that make Amazigh identity unique. Women dressed in silver, amber, and coral jewelry, which proclaimed status, wealth, and group belonging. They incorporated symbols and colors related to female fertility into their textiles, clothing, tattoos, and hairstyles as expressions of female agency. This talk uses women’s visual arts to consider the creative legacy of Berbers to North African history. Despite societal influences that have changed daily life, women continue to produce and use ancestral artistic forms, especially during rural weddings, demonstrating the crucial role women continue to play in preserving Amazigh (Berber) heritage.