Elegba Folklore Society Founder to Present Friends of Textile Lecture

Sept. 25 Event at Florida Tech’s Denius Student Center            

MELBOURNE, FLA. — Janine Yvette Bell, founder and artistic director of Elegba Folklore Society, will present “The Talking Gourd: A Survey of Africa’s Innovations in Prints & Places,” on Sept. 25 as Florida Tech’s Funk Center for Textile Arts kicks off its fall Friends of Textiles Lecture Series.

Bell’s lecture and performance are presented in conjunction with the Center’s current exhibit, Wandering Spirit: African Wax Prints, which will be on view until Dec. 15.

The event is in the Hartley Room on the second floor of the Denius Student Center on the Florida Tech campus in Melbourne. The 6 p.m. lecture will be preceded by a reception starting at 5:15 p.m.

Bell will present an illustrated lecture and play a beaded gourd, a traditional Yoruba instrument known as the sekere.

Now in its 28th year of operation, the Richmond, Virginia-based Elegba Folklore Society prides itself on the educational value, social relevance and economic impact of its work. It has been designated “Richmond’s Cultural Ambassador” by the City of Richmond.

Bell is an artist, producer, arts administrator and folklorist/cultural historian. She develops programs that are designed to strengthen families, build community and “edutain.” Bell is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including the Belle Award for Women in the Arts and the Harvey E. Beech Outstanding Alumni Award from the University of North Carolina.

The cost for the lecture is $10 per person for the general public and free for Friends of Textiles members and full-time Florida Tech students, faculty and staff with Florida Tech IDs. For more information, visit http://textiles.fit.edu/ or contact the Ruth Funk Center for Textile Arts at 321-674-8313.

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