Performancephotos(^3):^KeithGetter©2019than 20 years. In addition to
Grace, Wunmi has designed for
the sequel Serving Nia (2001);
Dancing Spirit (2009), Brown’s
tribute to Ailey dancer and
artistic director Judith Jamison;
and Four Corners (2013), a story
of four angels holding the four
winds. She shapes her style to
the demands of the perfor-
mance. For Four Corners, “Ron
situated the dance in that pre-
dawn time where it’s an early-
morning haze,” Wunmi says,so she created custom-dyed
fabrics in rich purples, deep
grays, and black.
Wunmi’s latest collaboration
is with six-time Grammy
winner Arturo O’Farrill &
the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra.
As part of a four-month artist-
in-residence program at the
Greene Space in New York
City, O’Farrill and his band paid
tribute to Fela Kuti, with Wun-
mi featured as a guest artist. In
addition to performing, shedesigned the costumes – taking
oceanic inspiration, fish scales
and deep, rich hues – for the
entire band and for her backup
singers. What might have been
a stressful undertaking was, for
Wunmi, a relief. “I didn’t know
what my girls would wear until
the day of the show,” she says,
“but sewing calms my nerves.”
In 2012, Wunmi started
another apparel line called
Wow Wow. The clothes are
primarily made in Nigeria,left and above:
Wunmi collaborated
with Grammy award-
winner Arturo O’Farrill
& the Afro Latin Jazz
Orchestra for a tribute
to Fela Kuti in January.
Wunmi designed cloth-
ing for the band and also
sang with the group.“I wore weird,
different
outfits, and
I sewed my
own clothes.”38 american craft aug/sept 19