West Africa in Manchester: Fabric, Patterns and Design

West Africa in Manchester: Fabric, Patterns and Design at The Portico Library, Chinatown, Until 8 April 2023, free entry - Visit now

Manchester’s fabric history is well documented and the Portico will be hosting two women who designed patterns for fabrics made in Manchester for export to Ghana and Nigeria from the 1960s onwards. West Africa in Manchester is a conversation with Margaret Hickson and Ann. These two women worked on beautiful batik, floral and other designs inspired and informed by African decorative arts. They will bring their pattern books, material and designs to show how commissions were made to shimmer in the West African sunshine.

This event will explore objects related to Manchester’s fashion and fabric industry and makes us think Manchester’s place in the world. The talk will be chaired by Portico Drector (trustee) Kevin Dalton-Johnson, who is an internationally commissioned artist and the person who created Lancaster’s Captured Africans, the first public sculpture at a UK quayside to memorialise enslaved Africans.