We will prepare a gourd, paint or etch on the gourd, string the beaded skirt around it and learn one rhythm & song on the instrument. Beads, wooden, ceramic, and pony plastic beads will be used. Other objects like seashells may be woven in -however, if they are breakable the instrument may become more a work of art than a playable instrument. African shekeres may use nut shells, seashells or hard seeds in the design. Bead colors are an individual choice.
If participants do not complete the instrument in one session it is possible to continue to work on it at home. This workshop if open to adults, teens, or children accompanied by an adult.
This special event is part of the Jagged Path: the African Diaspora in Western North Carolina in Craft, Music, and Dance exhibit on display though October 22, 2022. The exhibit illuminates the obscured history of African contributions to craft, music, and dance in Western North Carolina. Drawing connections from the 17th through 21st centuries., the Jagged Path will demonstrate how African traditions that survived the Middle Passage have helped create the culture of Western North Carolina through interviews, performances, historic artifacts, artist residencies, and more.
About the artist
Laurie Goux has been performing, choreographing, and producing since 1981. She is an alumna and former faculty member of Columbia College Dance Center where she taught Modern Dance as a part of the core curriculum. Laurie has performed and taught at the Augusta Festival at Davis & Elkins College since 2010, teaching Blues, West African, Afro-Brazilian, and Caribbean dance and lecturing on the African influence on Appalachian culture.
