Thursday, September 26

5:00 - Doors Open, Materials on Display / 5:30 - Program Starts

Archives & Special Collections Instruction Room, 340 Hillman Library

RSVP at pi.tt/maasai24

Please join the University of Pittsburgh Center for African Studies, Library System, and Studio Arts Department for a discussion on the global impact of Indigenous women focusing on the craft, culture and community of Maasai with Olorgesailie Maasai Women Artisans of Kenya and IdiaDega. This decade’s long collaboration of eco-design and sustain + ability has shown work Internationally including in Nairobi, Paris, Copenhagen, Netherlands, New York and Pittsburgh at Carnegie Museum of Art, Frick Museum and August Wilson African American Cultural Center. 

Featuring...

• Tereneh Idia - Ms. Idia was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; she received her Bachelor of Science in Business from Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and her Master of Science in Fashion Design and Marketing from Kenyatta University in Nairobi, Kenya. She had no intention of doing sustainable design; however, her time as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholars exchange program student in Kenya changed her life. In addition to her graduate studies, she began community service work in Kenya, including famine relief projects and a UNESCO Africa Animated! Design project utilizing fashion to educate youth about HIV/AIDS, planting trees in the Karura Forest, the forest Nobel Laurette Wangari Maathai saved, and where she met a cotton farmer converting to organic farming. As a result, she founded IdiaDega, an ethical apparel company. She began collaborating with Olorgesailie Maasai Women Artisans of Kenya (OMWA) in 2013, presenting the first collection of Indigenous co-designed elegant ethical apparel in Paris in 2014. The collaboration of IdiaDega + OMWA expanded in 2016 to include The Beading Wolves from the Oneida Indian Nation of New York. They've presented their work in Amsterdam, New York City, Paris, Copenhagen, Nairobi, and Pittsburgh. The Carnegie Museum of Art, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Contemporary Craft, and The Frick Pittsburgh have featured their work. Individually, Ms. Idia presented design workshops at the Carnegie Museum of Art in conjunction with the Iris Van Herpen exhibition. She won the prestigious Carol R. Brown Creative Achievement Emerging Artist Award. She was in the inaugural class of the Nest <> Hermes Artisan Leaders in New York City. She was named Designer of the Year by Pittsburgh Style Week. Her residencies include Goa, Brew House Arts, Casey Droege's The Residency, India's Zero Waste WildBeYo residency, The Heinz Endowments Creative Development Award residency at Contemporary Craft, and The Josef and Anni Albers Foundation Thread Senegal International artists residency.
• Cecilia Silantoi Nyoko - Ms. Nyoko joined the team in 2022 and was integral in making the Atasa Kenya project come to life. In addition to her work in tourism and project management, she is also a English-Kimaasai-Kiswahili translator - with the added benefit of having experience of living and working in urban environment. Ms. Nkoyo also doubles up on international volunteer placements and has managed a good working relationship with local communities in kenya through international volunteer coordination and placement. Ms. Nkoyo is a graduate of the Kenya Institute of Business Training with a diploma in Procurement and Administration year 2004. In 2022, she completed a week-long training on making solar components led by Job Mwathi, a solar power professional and instructor in Kenya. In 2023 when the Fulbright-Hayes team from the University of Pittsburgh visited Kenya, she organized their day in Olorgesailie. In 2022, when the East Africa drought decimated the South Rift Valley, Ms. Nkoyo contacted IdiaDega to-coordinate a fundraiser for food and water for the community of Olorgesailie. She lead the team to collect and distribute the aid to OMWA and their families. She has also led the process for securing the Kenyan passports for the OMWA members. Her abilities as a project manager has been essential to our work.
• Rosemary Mashipei Sabore - Mrs. Sabore is one of the group's most talented bead workers with over 35 years of beadwork and jewelry making experience. She attended Oloolua Primary School in Ngong division in Kajiado county in the year 1983 completing the 7th grade. She speaks Kiswahili, Kimaasai and English. She designed and created the unique Maasai watch bracelet which is currently available for sale at love, Pittsburgh and spruce & adorn. In 2022, she completed a week-long training on making solar components led by Job Mwathi, a solar power professional and instructor in Kenya. She was part of the special team that learned soldering elements to make the solar components used in our designs. Since 2013, the OWMA + IdiaDega (Pittsburgh based LLC) collaboration has presented their work in Paris, Nairobi, Amsterdam, New York City, Copenhagen and in Pittsburgh at the Carnegie Museums of Art and Natural History, The Frick Pittsburgh, and The Brew House. Carnegie Museum of Art, Mattress Factory, love, Pittsburgh; Contemporary Craft and spruce & adorn - have all carried their designs in their stores. 
• Mankeni Kidalu Nkisalei - Mrs. Nkisalei is one of the most dynamic and talented of bead-workers in OMWA. She has over 20 years of beadwork and jewelry making experience. As an artist she is able to communicate ideas across boundaries of language. She is always called upon to address the team and visitors to Olorgesailie as her eloquence and infectious smile speaks volumes. In 2022, she completed a week-long training on making solar components led by Job Mwathi, a solar power professional and instructor in Kenya. She was part of the special team that learned soldering elements to make the solar components used in our designs. Since 2013, the OWMA + IdiaDega (Pittsburgh-based LLC) collaboration has presented their work in Paris, Nairobi, Amsterdam, New York City, Copenhagen and in Pittsburgh at the Carnegie Museums of Art and Natural History, The Frick Pittsburgh, and The Brew House. Carnegie Museum of Art, Mattress Factory, love, Pittsburgh; Contemporary Craft and spruce & adorn - have all carried their designs in their stores. Recently widowed, she is the mother of nine children. They reside in an extended family village with her mother and mother-in-law and many other relatives.

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Hillman Library is located at 3960 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15260. Free on-street parking is available after 6:00 p.m. on various streets surrounding the library. Paid parking is also available at Soldiers & Sailors Parking Garage (.2 miles from the library). Hillman is also accessible by public transportation. See the Pittsburgh Regional Transit website for planning your trip. 

The entrance to the library is located at the Forbes Avenue address, accessed by a ramp leading from street level to the First Floor plaza. Sidewalks around the library are closed as part of library renovation; follow signs to library entrance.

Please email uls-events@pitt.edu with any questions or accessibility accommodation requests.