The Denison Museum will host Teena Jennings-Rentenaar, associate professor of family and consumer sciences at the University of Akron, who will present a lecture on “Mola Making: A High Risk Endeavor and How the Kuna Have Made it Work” at 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 5, in Burke Hall’s Black Box Theater (240 West Broadway). The lecture is free and open to the public.

Jennings-Rentenaar received her doctorate in Textiles and Clothing from The Ohio State University, where she researched the relationships and factors motivating people to continue making the arts and crafts symbolizing their culture. She teaches about clothing, textiles, and interiors at the University of Akron and, in conjunction with former Denison Gallery collections manager Melinda McPeek, presented “Caring for Paper and Textile Collections: Fiber Degradation and Related Preservation Solutions” at Burke Hall in 2006. In 2006 she also participated in a symposium in Toronto hosted by the Textile Society of America in which she presented her work on “Narratives among the Mola Blouses of the Kuna: A Blending of the Old and New Worlds.”

Mola means “blouse;” originally worn by women of the Kuna tribe of the San Blas Islands in Panama, molas are now collected worldwide. They are decorated using a complicated technique called “reverse appliqué” and are known for their bright colors and intricate designs.

This event is sponsored by the Denison Museum, which is dedicated to providing students, faculty, and staff of Denison University as well as the wider community with a first-hand cultural experience. An ongoing program of lectures, symposia, visiting artists, gallery tours, and other events is available. For more information and updated event schedules, visit the Denison Museum online at www.denison.edu/museum.

Calendar Listing:

CALENDAR LISTING: Denison University, Granville — Teena Jennings Rentenaar, associate professor at the University of Akron, will present “Mola Making: A High Risk Endeavor and How the Kuna Have Made it Work” at 7 p.m. on Thurs., March 5, in Burke Hall (240 West Broadway).

About Denison:

Denison University, founded in 1831, is an independent, residential liberal arts institution located in Granville, Ohio. A highly selective college enrolling 2,100 full-time undergraduate students from all 50 states and dozens of foreign countries, Denison is a place where innovative faculty and motivated students collaborate in rigorous scholarship, civic engagement and the cultivation of independent thinking.

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