What’s better than buying home-made?
Making it yourself, of course.
That’s the spirit fueling the Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts’ D-I-Y Festival that’s being held on Jan. 21, where craftsmen and women of African descent will display, sell, and provide tutorials on how to produce an eclectic mix of homemade goods.
“We’re interested in seeing what sort of contributions artisans of color are making to the D-I-Y movement,” said curator Isissa Komada-John. “It can be anything from jewelry makers to health food snack makers; we’ll have a couple of artists, and even a cocktail maker!”
Local artisans will not only display their lovingly, handcrafted goods, they’ll also host workshops designed to instruct patrons on the methods, recipes and tools used to create their sundry crafts.
“The unique thing about the festival is that it’s not just a place to come and buy, it’s also a place to learn,” said Komada-John. “ So, as you’re looking at somebody’s designs you can also learn a little something.”
Curators are currently hard at work sifting through the more than 30 applications submitted by eager crafters vying for a shot to conduct his or her own workshop, though already confirmed on the roster are print makers Bklyn Boihood, and TV chefs from the Brooklyn Community Access Television show, “Food Heaven Made Easy with Wendy and Jess.”
The D-I-Y Fest is part of a series of exhibitions entitled, “Pixelating: Black in New Dimensions,” which explores the identity of African-Americans in the 21st century through a variety of media including visual art, the written word, and different types of craft.
“The metaphor of ‘Pixelating’ is, you can get up close and zoom in on the image of what it means to be black,” said Komada-John. “We want to ask people, ‘What kind of nuances do you see?”
Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts [80 Hanson Pl. between S. Portland Avenue and S. Elliot Place in Fort Greene, (718) 230-0492] Jan. 21, at 2 pm. For info, visit www.mocada.org
Reach reporter Colin MIxson at cmixson@cnglocal.com or by calling (718) 260-4514.
