Suzanne Gunn with Moderator Celeste Butler

During opening night of KANEKO's Fabrics of Africa: Weaving Culture and Community exhibition, Suzanne Gunn will discuss the pieces featured in the exhibition with multi-disciplinary artist, teacher, and quiltologist Celeste Butler (bios below), exploring the use of fabrics for storytelling, the diversity of textile traditions, and their impact on communities.

Suzanne Gunn is a fashion designer, Family Nurse Practitioner, and owner of Tivona Naturals who blends her love for fashion and sustainability with community empowerment. Inspired by her upbringing in Kenya, Suzanne founded Tivona World to showcase handcrafted, culturally rich products while supporting African and local artisans through fair trade practices. She works closely with underprivileged communities and advocates for sustainable development and cultural preservation.

Suzanne’s fashion designs have been shown nationally, and can be viewed here: Gunn Fashion Design

Celeste Butler is a multi-disciplinary artist, storyteller, teacher and quiltologist based in Omaha who has worked on several compelling community engagement art projects and facilitates art in schools. Butler describes quilts as the first social media, and her work has been been exhibited at the 2020 Citylight Arts Project, the Durham Western Heritage Museum, the 2018-2019 Thread exhibition at the Museum of Nebraska Arts, and the Film Streams (Dundee, Omaha) permanent gallery collection. Butler’s pieces have also been featured in The Washington Post, We Don’t Coast, and Omaha INSPIRED Living and are found in a variety of public and private collections.

https://celestebutlerart.com

Thank you to House of Bah Foundation for being our hospitality sponsor for the opening night of our newest exhibit, African Fabrics.

Curator Talk: Fabrics of Africa

Suzanne Gunn and Moderator Celeste Butler