Designing Dynamism: Kuba Textiles from the Wesley Mancini Collection

A dynamic, bold, exploration of the breadth of the Kuba design aesthetic and its lasting impact on early twentieth-century modernism through to the present day.

The textiles of the historic, multi-ethnic Kuba kingdom, (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo), represent the most intact and cohesive tradition in the region, and are exceptional for their artistic caliber, graphic sophistication, and complexity of style. The written story of Kuba cloth begins with encounters in the early sixteenth century between the coastal Congo kingdoms and European explorers who were impressed by the elegance and intricacy of Congo weaving. In the early twentieth century the Kuba improvisational abstract aesthetic captivated the Western avant-garde, influencing fashion, fabric design, and the decorative arts.

In addition to presenting full colour plates of up to fifty pieces, Designing Dynamism features illustrations of modern European textiles, contemporary woven Wesley Mancini fabrics and an illustrated introduction to Kuba textiles. The volume also includes an essay on Kuba design and its influence on modern and contemporary designers, and an essay by the only African American to have won the Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award in Product Design. A brief illustrated section focuses on the embroidery techniques of prestige cloths.

Accompanies an exhibition at The Mint Museum, NC.

Vanessa Drake Moraga is an independent researcher, curator and writer specializing in the textile arts. She is the co-author of African Textiles (2022).

Annie Carlano is senior Curator of Craft, Design & Fashion at The Mint Museum, NC.

Stephen Burks is an award-winning designer and a professor of architecture at Columbia University.

Joel Smeltzer is the head of School and Gallery Programs at The Mint Museum, NC.