The Real Housewives Of Purpose.

Organization established in 1933 to encourage African American housewives to patronize African American-owned businesses. The national organization was comprised of local groups, the most important of these being the Housewives' League of Detroit, which was founded in 1930 under the leadership of Fannie B. Peck. The Detroit League worked in conjunction with the Booker T. Washington Trade Association whose organization was headed by the Rev. William H. Peck, and the National Negro Business League. The record group includes minutes, correspondence, publications, and activity files of both the national organization and the Detroit league. The series in the record group are History and Organization; Core Records; Correspondence; Programs and Events; Media Coverage; Publications; Chapters; Related Organizations; and Other Materials. The largest portion of the Chapters series consists of records of the Detroit league and include history, publications, and other organizational materials.

Source:
Repository: Bentley Historical Library University of Michigan1150 Beal Ave.
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2113
Phone: 734-764-3482
Fax: 734-936-1333
e-mail: bentley.ref@umich.edu
Home Page: http://www.bentley.umich.edu/

Toni Morrison at Swarthmore College

                            Went to hear the iconic author Toni Morrison 
                   speak to an overflowing crowd,at Swarthmore College. 

Zawadi means Gift in Swahili

For twenty two years Irene Whalen has owned and operated Zawadi African Art Gallery and Gift Shop in Washington DC. This beautiful store is in the heart of Washington’s trendy U street district and sells a unique blend of traditional and contemporary art, textiles, home goods, jewelry and more.  

For more information check out their  website www.zawadidc.com.  

 or visit the store at
1524 U Street, NW Washington, District of Columbia 20009

Denys Davis (r)  and Zawadi owner Irene Whalen (l)

A Stamp for the Legendary Jimi Hendrix: Painting Rudy Gutierrez

It was a great feeling to hear that Rudy Gutierrez was creating the art for a US Postage Stamp honoring the great guitarist Jimi Hendrix.  This is so special because Rudy attended Pratt Institute with Monna.   She remembers his friendly demeanor and kind smile. 

Rudy says..
"When Jimi said to "wave your freak flag high" for me he really was talking about the beauty of being ourselves and seeing the divinity and validity in who we are! Everyone has this beautiful light unless they allow it to be put out! "

 

"To all my Gypsy, Rainbows and Lovers of the Sonic Medicinal Electric Warrior known as Jimi Hendrix, here is a video of me painting Jimi for the stamp and being interviewed by Christopher Tyree of the Journey Group. The amazing designer is Greg Breeding!"
http://uspsstamps.com/stories/channeling-jimi

To see more of the artists work: http://www.rudygutierrez.net/‎

In Celebration of Women's History Month

We celebrate Augusta Savage born Augusta Christine Fells ,  

Artist, activist, and  educator. Born on February 29, 1892, in Green Cove Springs, Florida. to 1962.

 www.biography.com/people/augusta-savage-40495

Lorrie Paynes RAw Sugar: Raw Materials Sweet Results

Artist: Lorri Payne (center)

We went to see an exhibit by Lorrie Payne on a balmy night in downtown Philadelphia. A few years ago Lorrie was known as a doll maker; today Lorrie is part sculptor and part mix media artist. Like a true creative being, her work has evolved over the years. Her detailed oriented pieces capture the mood of each individual figurative sculpture of which she names or adds captions. Lorrie blends old and new materials and uses an eclectic mixture of paper, sheet music, metal, glass, beads and mixed textile patterns to create exquisite works of art. It was well worth the trip into center city on a night that was crowded with people out and about because finally the weather was good.

Lorrie’s work will be on exhibit at the Cosmopolitan Club 1616 Latimer Street Philadelphia PA 19103 until April 4th ,2014.
www.lorriepaynesrawsugar.com

Photos of Dolls/Sculptures: Crawford Wilson

Andrea Mahalik of WildChairy Creates Kenya Chairs

Someone shared this with you: http://vimeo.com/facebookstories/wea...

Weaving Connections http://vimeo.com/facebookstories/wea... About this video "Andrea Mihalik, of New Jersey, creates unique and artistic chairs by adding new materials to vintage furniture for her business Wild Chairy. On a trip to Kenya last year, Andrea met the people of Kiltamany, a small village four hours outside Nairobi. Almost immediately, Andrea knew that she wanted to collaborate with the village’s craftswomen, using some of their incredible woven beadwork for one of her designs. Through Facebook Messages, Andrea was able to stay in contact with them and commission the women to make panels for two of her chairs. The proceeds from one of the chairs will be donated to a school in the village to advance women's education in the region. This is one of 10 stories celebrating Facebook's 10th anniversary and a decade of connections made possible through the platform. See the rest at http://facebookstories.com/10 Credits Presented by Facebook Stories Director - Matt Harnack Director of Photography - Jared Levy Assistant Camera and Edit - Alejandro Alvarado Audio Specialist - Emett Casey U.S. Producer - Craig Ormiston Kenya Producer - Mercy Murugi Production Assistant - Rachel Tierney"