TOLEDO MUSEUM OF ART ANNOUNCES YATREDA ያጥሬዳ
AS 2024 DIGITAL ARTIST IN RESIDENCE
YATREDA WILL PARTNER WITH OHIO-BASED ARTIST, JORDAN BUSCHUR, AS PART OF THE RESIDENCY
THE ETHIOPIAN ART COLLECTIVE WILL ALSO OPEN HOUSE OF YATREDA IN ETHIOPIA AT THE CROSSROADS, ON VIEW IN TOLEDO FROM AUGUST 17 – NOVEMBER 10, 2024
The Toledo Museum of Art (TMA) announces House of Yatreda, an immersive, multi-sensory exhibition by Yatreda ያጥሬዳ, the digital artist collective based between Ethiopia, Kenya, and the United States, and the recently appointed TMA Labs’ 2024 Digital Artist in Residence. House of Yatreda will be open to the public at the Toledo Museum of Art from August 17 through November 10, 2024.
Building on the success of last year’s inaugural Digital Artist Residency Program, the Toledo Museum of Art (TMA) and its digital arts-focused ventureI, TMA Labs, has invited Yatreda ያጥሬዳ, an Ethiopian family art collective, to participate in the 2024 residency. Kiya Tadele leads Yatreda with assistance from her partner, Joey Lawrence. Tadele describes Yatreda as a family of artists in Ethiopia that makes art in the style of tizita—nostalgia and longing for the past.
Originating in Ethiopia, New York, the Yatreda ያጥሬዳ team is spending time in Toledo to develop and realize an immersive digital art installation, House of Yatreda, as part of TMA’s upcoming exhibition Ethiopia at the Crossroads. The exhibition celebrates 1,700 years of Ethiopia’s rich history, culture, and artistic traditions. It will be open August 17 through November 10, 2024, at the Toledo Museum of Art.
The House of Yatreda blends the ancient traditions and legends of Ethiopian culture with 21st-century blockchain technology. The immersive digital art experience will premiere Yatreda’s latest series, Abyssinian Queen, which animates the life and travels of an imagined Ethiopian queen and her loyal followers into four black-and-white slow-motion digital artworks (NFTs). The immersive experience will be accompanied by other drops developed during the residency that integrate the rich tapestry of Ethiopian culture with local artistic narratives, fostering community engagement and promoting cross-cultural understanding.
An integral accompaniement to the House of Yatreda is an immersive coffee ceremony that will be performed live several times during the run of the exhibition. Ethipia is the birthplace of coffee, and the rituals surrounding coffee are a core facet of community-building and conversation-starting in Ethiopian culture. Being invited to share coffee in Ethiopia is considered a symbol of friendship, respect, and great hospitality. Accompanied by a masinquo player and coffee muse, Tadele will play the role of the storyteller and narrate various customs and steps of the Ethiopian coffee ceremony in relationship to Yatreda’s art.
TMA also has invited Ohio-based painter Jordan Buschur to participate in the digital residency as the Community Digital Artist in Residence. Buschur’s work is rooted in a system of value based on mystery, sentimentality, and a matriarchal connection; she is a co-founder of Co-Worker Gallery and has curated exhibitions at Cuchifritos Gallery (NYC), Spring/Break Art Show (NYC), and the Neon Heater (Findlay, OH). Yatreda will mentor Buschur in digital art and the Web3 environment. As the culmination of their work with TMA Labs, both Yatreda and Buschur will create a one-of-one NFT that will be sold at a Christie’s sale in the second half of the year. Bidding opportunities for these NFTs will be announced later this fall.
House of Yatreda will be open to the public at the Toledo Museum of Art from August 17 through November 10, 2024. Bidding opportunities for the unique 1-of-1 NFTs created by Yatreda and Jordan Buschur will be announced in the coming weeks.
About the Toledo Museum of Art
Established in 1901, the Toledo Museum of Art is a beloved cultural institution in Toledo, Ohio, and a global leader in the museum field. We believe that art transforms people’s lives and invites them to see differently.
Admission to the Museum is always free and is open Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. and 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. The Museum is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays and on certain holidays.
The Museum is located at 2445 Monroe St., one block off I-75 with exit designations posted. More information available at 419-255-8000 and toledomuseum.org.
About TMA Labs
The development of TMA Labs was inspired by the Toledo Museum of Art’s desire to become the lead museum innovator in the web3 and digital art space. TMA Labs is commited to engaging both local and global communities through the utilization of technology to support the musuem’s mission to integrate art into the lives of people.
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