Exhibit Opening - Iya Alaro: The Indigo Trade and the Power of Women in Yorubaland

Join us for the opening of our new outdoor exhibit titled IYA ALARO by multidisciplinary artist Oluwaseyi (Shayee) Awoyomi who is also a fifth generation textile dryer from the Yoruba people of Nigeria, will be mounted at Halsey House & Garden beginning June and ending September 15, 2023. The artwork will hopefully bring awareness to America’s shared past with Africa and the dye plant indigo. The installation can be easily seen by walking or driving by Halsey House & Garden, located at 249 South Main Street in Southampton, NY.

The fifty-foot long mural’s creation was curated by Harlem Needle Arts, Inc. under the direction of Executive Director Michelle Bishop. In 2022 the outdoor artwork was display for a year at Colonel Young Triangle in Harlem. It depicts Iya Alaro, the mother of dyers, who oversees the indigo harvest and production of indigo-dyed cloth, known as ‘Aidre’ among the Yoruba People of Nigeria.

This exhibit was made possible with funds provided by the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA).