Free admission to Mint Museum Randolph Feb. 21-22 to celebrate opening of Designing Dynamism: Kuba Textiles from the DR Congo

Designing Dynamism: Kuba Textiles from the DR Congo, The Wesley Mancini Collection opens February 21, 2026, at Mint Museum Randolph. The exhibition showcases striking examples of Kuba artistry that is renowned for bold, asymmetrical patterns, and explores its influence on global design and the enduring creativity of contemporary artists working in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The exhibition will be on display at Mint Museum Randolph, 2730 Randolph Road, Charlotte, North Carolina, through August 23, 2026.

To celebrate the exhibition, admission to Mint Museum Randolph will be FREE on February 21 and 22, 2026:

• Saturday, February 21: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Sunday, February 22: 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Curator Conversation with Designers Stephen Burks and Malika Leiper
Thursday, February 19, 2026
7:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Free

Senior Curator of Craft, Design, and Fashion Annie Carlano welcomes acclaimed industrial designer Stephen Burks and Malika Leiper, director of cultural affairs at Stephen Burks Man Made, to discuss Kuba textiles and their design of the exhibition Designing Dynamism: Kuba Textiles from the DR Congo, The Wesley Mancini Collection.

Patterns of Influence: A Talk with Vanessa Drake Moraga
Saturday, February 21, 2026
2 to 3 p.m.
Free

As part of the opening celebration for Designing Dynamism: Kuba Textiles from the DR Congo, The Wesley Mancini Collection, Vanessa Drake Moraga, author of “Weaving Abstraction: Kuba Textiles and the Woven Art of Central Africa,” presents a richly illustrated talk that traces the history of the western adaptation, appropriation, and appreciation of Kuba surface design and textile artistry from the turn of the 20th century.

Drake Moraga is also the primary author of the Designing Dynamism exhibition catalogue and top scholar on Kuba textiles, as well as textile art from Africa and South America. She was guest curator for “Weaving Abstraction: Kuba Textiles and the Woven Art of Central Africa” (2011). She also co-authored “African Textiles” with Duncan Clarke and Sarah Fee (2022). Her other publications include “Animal Myth and Magic: Images from Pre-Columbian Textiles” (1995), as well as many articles on textile art and iconography.