Family First: Adinkra Gift Card Making

Create stamps of West African Adinkra symbols for your very own holiday cards!

Join us as we learn about West African traditions, specifically how Adinkra symbols have intricate meanings that date back hundreds of years.

Led by teaching artist Natalie Chanel, participants will learn how to carve their own Adinkra inspired stamps. Once the stamps have been completed, participants will use their handmade stamps to create a 12x12 inch piece on paper, followed by adding patterns on holiday cards to give away to loved ones!

What story will your holiday cards tell?

Family First is presented by Novant Health

Natalie Chanel is an artist, small business owner and a Visual Arts Specialist for Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools. She received her B.F.A. degree from Norfolk State University in Virginia and her M.A. degree from The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. She has ten years of experience working as an art teacher and teaching artist.

During the summer months, Natalie travels abroad to learn about different ethnic cultural practices and the textile and artistic traditions that have been passed down over time. As a result, she has developed a deep passion for observing, photographing and meeting locals and has photographed people and cultural traditions in Africa, Europe, Asia, South America and India. Some of her photographs can be found in books, including Las Tradicionales Viven by Ñawpa Yachayninchiskunaqa Kawsanmi (2018) and Heirs' Property in the African American Community by Anderson Jones (cover art-2013).

Her current work includes a photography project that sheds light on the murders of black men at the hands of law enforcement and spotlighting academically gifted black males in Charlotte’s public high schools.