Overview

In Drawing on Culture, artist and ethnomusicologist Dave Kobrenski takes readers on an artistic journey of cultural discovery into the heart of West Africa. For two decades, Kobrenski studied music with master djembe players in Guinea, returning year after year to the historical homeland of the Mali Empire, carrying only a sketchbook and his curiosity. Living in a small village along the Niger River, he eventually turned his attention-and his art-to topics that concern us all: Why is culture important? What can we in the West learn from a village in West Africa? And why are so many cultures disappearing from the face of the Earth? In Drawing on Culture, Kobrenski shares his artwork, stories, and insights about culture and worldviews with the keen eye of an anthropologist so that we might, in turn, see our own cultural worldview with new eyes. More than thirty new artworks from his time in Guinea are compiled here alongside his own field notes and essays. His portrait drawings inspire conversations about diversity, tradition, and why ancient ways of knowing are now more relevant than ever. Both a visually rich travelogue and insightful ethnography, Drawing on Culture invites us to listen to our planet's oldest cultures so that we might come to understand how to regain ecological balance on a planet spinning out of control with human activity.

Full Product Details

9780982668931

Table of Contents

Reviews

Author Information

Dave Kobrenski is an artist, musician, and writer who has a hard time refusing a good adventure. His numerous other artistic and creative projects are heavily influenced by a love for all things beautiful and cultural. Between 2001 and 2016, Dave traveled extensively in West Africa to study traditional music with master musicians such as Famoudou Konate, Sayon Camara, Nansady Keita, and other musicians of the region. When in Guinea, he continues his studies of the Fula flute (tambin) with a master of the Malinke flute tradition, Lancine Conde. Dave performs throughout the northeast U.S. with the Donkilo! Afro Funk Orkestra, 7oddSeven, Sayon Camara & Landaya, and various other groups. He plays the Fula flute, the kamale ngoni (a 10-string Mande harp), and djembe. Dave currently resides in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, where he continues to hone his artistic skills as well as pursue his studies in anthropology and ethnomusicology. Dave is also the author of the book Djoliba Crossing.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available