By Skylar Mullin
As University of Maryland students dipped their paintbrushes into paints crafted from cabbages, beets and coffee, they not only experimented with creative expression but also participated in a larger effort to preserve African culture.
At the ARTiculate Narratives Project event held in Studio A of the Adele H. Stamp Student Union on April 18, Kenyan artist Wanyama Ogutu joined the event over Zoom to explain how his work preserves Lamu Island’s cultural heritage.
An MFA scholar at Kenyatta University, Ogutu focuses his work on the intersection between art and preservation. He is one of the authors of the book “Art Research and Practice: African Perspective” and contributed to peer-reviewed articles such as “Preserving the Collective Memory of the Swahili Culture: An Ethnographic Study of Lamu Island,” which examine how specific artistic practices are essential to keeping tradition alive.
For Ogutu, the main focus behind his art is the threat to African cultural identity. During his talk, he said globalization, migration and modern influence are three forces affecting cultural preservation in Africa. He also noted that institutions like the National Museum of Kenya have begun supporting artists and historians in preserving their own traditions, just as Ogutu is doing with his work on Lamu culture.
Ogutu explained his technique in deriving pigments from native plants in Lamu as a form of cultural preservation. As he did, university students utilized paper, paintbrushes and an array of natural paints to test his methods firsthand.
Junior neuroscience major Amrutha Alibilli led the workshop, which was part of the ARTiculate Narratives Project. Alibilli connected with international artists through her work at the nonprofit Kindness in Action. With the help of grants from the Do Good Institute, the project is meant to highlight marginalized voices through their creative mediums.
“He really volunteered to share his paintings,” Alibilli said, adding that it made her wonder whether students would be just as interested as she was.
This was the first workshop in the three-part series in collaboration with the Stamp Student Union, which will culminate with a summer exhibition. It turns a single event into a longer cultural exchange.
The event offered a hands-on way for students to engage with the material. Gwenyth Fitzpatrick, an art industry major from Grantsville, Maryland, attended out of interest in sustainable art practices.
“I think it’s good to learn about different cultures, different practices, and see other people are interested in the arts,” Fitzpatrick said.
Rho Ma, a mechanical engineering doctoral student, said she found the experience “fun” and “exploratory” and drew on her art background to assess the method. She noted that working with everyday materials makes art more accessible.
“It’s just something to get used to,” Ma said. “I just think it’s nice being able to explore like a different type of medium.”
Featured Image: Students’ artwork using plant-based paints during hands-on portion of the workshop on April 18. Photo by Skylar Mullin.