"Daughters of the Dust"

1991 ‧ 1h 53m ‧ PG

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"Daughters of the Dust" is a Sundance-winning film written and directed by Julie Dash. The film centers on an extended, multi-generational family from the Gullah sea islands at the turn of the century. The film demonstrates how craft, particularly indigo dyeing and sweetgrass basket making, is integral to their matrilineal family and culture. It was the first film directed by a Black woman to receive nationwide theatrical release and the cinematography is by esteemed video artist Arthur Jafa. The film was also  the inspiration for Beyonce’s "Lemonade" video.

Introduction by Mellanee Goodman, Craft Scholar and Grant Program Manager at the Center for Craft. During the last three years, Goodman has been researching the history of Black craftswomen in the upper South, including Southern Appalachia, from 1850 to 1910.

Craft Cinema

Craft Cinema is a monthly film screening series at the Center for Craft that spotlights craft on screen. The films featured run the gamut from feature films that showcase making and craft disciplines,  films that display an intrinsic attention to process and craft in their own making, to video art made by craft artists, and short film groupings.

Craft Cinema is sponsored, in part, by Brown Brothers Harriman & Co.

Photography courtesy of Cohen Media Group.