BALTIMORE, MD – On October 25, the Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) will present Woven Monuments: Tapestry and Identity from Senegal, an exhibition exploring the pivotal role of tapestry in expressing national identity, artistic innovation, and cultural diplomacy in post-independence Senegal. By bringing together a selection of 12 vibrant, large-scale tapestries alongside related designs and archival materials, the exhibition illuminates how artists transformed textiles into a powerful medium of historical narrative and global exchange. The exhibition will be on view at the BMA through March 7, 2027.
When Senegal gained independence from France on April 4, 1960, artists played a vital role in developing expressions of its cultural identity, ushering in a period of cultural transformation. Senegal’s first president, Léopold Sédar Senghor, was a poet, philosopher, and political leader who championed the arts as central to Senegal’s identity and global presence. He encouraged artists to create works that expressed both the culture and history of the country while also drawing from inspiration across the African continent.
Senegal’s national tapestry workshop, the Manufacture des arts décoratifs de Thiès (MSAD) played a central role in developing and disseminating Senghor’s vision. Established in the 1960s with state support, MSAD brought together designers, cartoonists, and weavers in a highly collaborative process that underscores tapestry as both an artistic and collaborative endeavor. Today, MSAD remains an important institution, continuing a legacy of artistic excellence and innovation in textile production.
Woven Monuments highlights the depth and range of this tradition through thematic sections, including explorations of Négritude—a movement celebrating Black identity, heritage, and cultural pride—nature and place, Pan-African connections, and the role of tapestry in diplomacy. The exhibition features tapestries presented to heads of state or that traveled as part of international exhibitions, such as Papa Ibra Tall’s Poète aux Mains Magiques (1969), Boubacar Goudiaby’s L’oiseau no 1(1980s), and Mouhamadou “Zulu” M’baye’s Belle Femmes du Pays(c. 1987).
More information: https://artbma.org
