Meet the Artist who Established the Only American Museum Dedicated to African Beads

Meet the Artist who Established the Only American Museum Dedicated to African Beads

- There are many African people working tirelessly to tell the story of the black race, and Olayami Dabls is one of them

- He is an African-American man who established the only museum in the United States dedicated to African beads

- Olayami, who has been been working as a visual artist for over four decades, started collecting beads in 1985

- The museum is situated in Detroit, Michigan; and instead of just appreciating the items, lovers of beads can purchase them

PAY ATTENTION: Click “See First” under the “Following” tab to see Briefly.co.za News on your News Feed!

A beautiful structure situated in Detroit, Michigan houses African beads and it is the only museum in the United States dedicated to these items.

The museum was established by Olayami Dabls who wanted residents to better understand the immense power of their African heritage, Design Indaba reports.

Read also

Nick Evans rescues an uninvited 2m black mamba at a school in Durban

Meet the artist behind America's only museum dedicated to African beads
Olayami Dabls is telling the story of the black race. Photo credit: Design Indaba
Source: UGC

Olayami is an African-American artist who started collecting beads in 1985, mainly sourced from Mali.

According to the artist, beads tell a story about black identity and history that connects communities across the world.

He said:

“Art has always been in the community long before it was put in museums. So that’s only a natural course of action to have the art available in the community, and the community to respond to it.”

Olayami has worked as a visual storyteller for over 45 years and has always been passionate about using his work to tell the stories of the African people.

PAY ATTENTION: Never miss breaking news – join Briefly News' Telegram channel

Nigerian artist makes sculpture with screws

In other news, a Nigerian man identified as Segun Akano is the only artist in the country that makes sculptures with screws.

Speaking with Legit TV, Briefly News sister site he said he decided to make sculptures with screws because he wanted to be identified with something unique.

Read also

Philanthropist puts smiles on streetkids’ faces, provides food and enrols them in school

According to Akano, the idea came to him in the middle of the night and he immediately acted on it.

Akano later found out that artists in other countries were also executing the idea.

He said Nigeria has not got to a point where art is totally accepted, adding that he wants artists to be more appreciated in the country.

Enjoyed reading our story? Download BRIEFLY's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major South African news!

Source: Briefly News

Online view pixel