Patterns of Color

Somali Bantu Needlework
Mentor Artist: Masiti Hussein Mohamed 

Somali Bantu embroidery, Burlington, Vermont. Supported by the Vermont Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program of the Vermont Folklife Center, Middlebury Vermont. Audio slideshow by Ned Castle.

Eight women crowd the small living room of expert weaver Masiti Hussein Mohamed. An apprenticeship project that began with only a Somali Bantu women has quickly grown into a bustling social and artistic group filled with color—colorful personalities, colorful clothing, and of course, colorful materials for embroidery and applique.