As we are all aware, Pres. O lived for a spell in the Asian nation of Indonesia during the 1960s where his mother was researching this vast and vibrant culture.
While there, Obama’s mom (AKA Ann Dunham) both began collecting Javanese batiks/textiles (see above) as well as embracing the intricate practice herself.
Following Ms. Dunham’s death, her colorful collection passed on to her daughter, Pres. O’s sister Maya Soetoro Ng — who has made the pieces available for a round-the-country exhibition that began last month called A Lady Found a Culture in Its Cloth: Barack Obama’s Mother and Indonesian Batiks.
Organized by the Indonesian embassy, the tour kicked off at the Drake Hotel in Chicago, appeared in Los Angeles at the Indonesian consulate, is NOW through June 11 in San Francisco and then goes to Houston, New York and Washington, DC.
In Gotham, the works will be displayed at the Waldorf Astoria from July 21-24, and then at the Textile Museum in Washington, D.C., Aug. 9-23.
Much has been made — both good and bad — about Pres. O’s time in Jakarta.
Finally, we have a first-hand look at this period from his mother’s POV.