Project: Adinkra Banners
New Mexico Standards: Art 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8; Social Studies II

Objectives
4. Students will understand the way that adinkra cloth has been used traditionally and how the adinkra stamps are used today. (historical and cultural understanding.)
5. Students will describe and discuss the process of making adinkra cloth, including the use of symbols and their meanings and the materials that are used (perceiving, analyzing and responding.)
6. Students will explore graphic design, pattern, sequence, repetition and printing techniques to make an adinkra banner (creating and performing.)

Materials
Yellow or red fabric cut into pieces 6" x 16" (approximately),
adhesive backed foam 4 ½" x 6",
railroad board 5" x 7",
pencils, erasers,
scissors,
adinkra stamps (if available)
black water soluble printing ink,
brayers,
trays for the ink,
newspaper,
glue sticks,
dowels 1/8" x 18".

Motivation
Show images of adinkra cloth or an actual piece of adinkra cloth if you have access to one. What do the students see? Are there graphic elements that are repeated? What do the symbols remind them of? If the students had to assign the symbols meaning, what would the significance of the symbols be? Explain the traditional use of adinkra cloth and the way that the stamps each have a meaning and often a proverb associated with it. Tell the students that they will be making their own adinkra banners and encourage them to use shapes and/or invent symbols that have meaning for them. They can think about values that are important to them, ideals that they have, issues for world leaders to keep in mind and philosophies they hold dear.

Procedure
1. Each students gets a piece of craft foam and draws their idea for their symbol on the paper back. (Because they are drawing on the back, they do not have to reverse the image.)
2. The students cut out the foam and adhere the pieces to the railroad board.
3. When they are ready to print, they place their "adinkra stamp" with the foam side up on a stack of newspapers. They roll the brayer in the ink and apply it to the surface of the foam.
4. When they are ready to lay the fabric on top of the inked foam, make sure any excess ink has been removed from the surrounding newspaper (just throw it away.)
5. Place the fabric on top of the inked foam and rub gently without changing the placement of the fabric.
6. Peel off the fabric and enjoy the results!
7. Repeat as desired.
8. Determine where on the dowel the cloth is going to be placed. Mark each edge with a pencil. Apply glue stick to the dowel in the designated area.
9. Place the fabric on top of the glued dowel and press into place.
10. Set aside to dry.

Evaluation
The students can write labels for their banners which describe the symbols and their meaning, explaining what they were thinking about when they made them. Make a display with the banners and labels.
Students can work in small groups to create banners with a specific theme. These can also be displayed with explanations.

Extensions and Connections
Students can research the history and use of adinkra cloth and report back to the class on their findings. (Social Studies)
The history of Ghana can be a topic for research. Students can explore the way that Ghanaian society has evolved and developed under different types of governments. (Social Studies)
Students can explore different African textile traditions, such as kente cloth, adire, or indigo dyed fabric and make a presentation to the cloth with examples of the textile techniques. (Visual Arts)


Introduction | weaving project | Printing & painting |

Weaving | Adinkra bibliography