Ubuntutu: Life Legacies of Love and Action

The Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation (DLTF) and Michigan State University Museum (MSUM), in association with quilt artists in South Africa and the United States, have partnered to develop an exhibition and accompanying publication to pay tribute to the indelible contributions that Desmond and Leah Tutu have made in addressing human rights in South Africa and around the world.

DATE

3 October 2016 - 4 November 2016

TIME

09h00 - 17h00

VENUE

Mandela Gateway Museum, V&A Waterfront, Cape Town

COST

Free

The Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation (DLTF) and Michigan State University Museum (MSUM), in association with quilt artists in South Africa and the United States, have partnered to develop an exhibition and accompanying publication to pay tribute to the indelible contributions that Desmond and Leah Tutu have made in addressing human rights in South Africa and around the world. The exhibition’s title is sourced from South African artist Diana Vandeyar’s quilt Ubuntutu, a combination of the Tutu surname and Ubuntu, the philosophy Tutu popularized in the late 1990s. Love is also a foundational concept in the exhibition, which focuses on the Tutu’s love for each other, in addition to their unrequited love for humanity. Like the 2014 Conscience of the Human Spirit: The Life of Nelson Mandela, the exhibition will consist of 30” square quilts made by invited artists from South Africa, those in the U.S. affiliated with the US-based Women of Color Quilt Network (WCQN), and some selected additional invited U.S. artists.

The accompanying full-color publication contains an image of each quilt as well as artist statements detailing how their quilt is an interpretation of the Tutus’ legacy. To provide social, cultural and historical context, the publication also includes several essays that illuminate their incomparable contributions to the struggle for human rights. Both the quilt exhibition and catalog intends to inspire viewers to connect with the power of a concerted effort to respect and defend humanity.