Guenet Abraham: Exploring and Bridging Ethiopia’s Indigenous Art, Design, and Innovation

The Center for Innovation, Research, and Creativity in Arts (CIRCA) presents Guenet Abraham, professor of visual arts at UMBC, who will speak on "Exploring and Bridging Ethiopia's Indigenous Art, Design, and Innovation," a multi-year project for which she was awarded a 2025 CIRCA Summer Fellowship.

The project is a collaboration with Teferi Abate, Senior Research Anthropologist with Human Relations Area Files (HRAF) at Yale University and explores a dialogue bridging cultural, economic, and artistic boundaries in institutions and communities in Ethiopia and elsewhere. The project challenges the notion that indigenous everyday objects traditionally identified as craft are static, obsolete, or quaint, repositioning these objects as vital, innovative, and central to both cultural and economic development. By presenting these objects on equal footing with Western designs and employing the same critical visual, verbal, academic and industry language to identify, credit, archive, and study them, they reframe perceptions of traditionally labeled 'craft' items—such as the jebena —and elevate their significance. This approach acknowledges their inherent design values and creates new conversations and pathways for innovation within the context of the local culture comparable to what is often celebrated in Western design practices. This long-term project will culminate in a traveling exhibition featuring locally sourced objects, discussions, and community outreach programs.

Guenet Abraham started her career as a book designer working for Pantheon Books/Random House. She was a senior designer for W.W. Norton & Co. before earning her MFA at Yale School of Art. Her work is recognized by the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA), American Association of Museums (AAM), University College & Designers Association (UCDA), and by the Paris Photo Aperture Foundation PhotoBook Awards. In concert with her work as a design educator, Guenet maintains an active book design practice. Her most recent projects are for Saint Lucy Books, a publisher of idiosyncratic books on contemporary photography. She enjoys the challenge of creating a visual language that speaks to contemporary audiences with impact and appeal. Professor Abraham is the recipient of two consecutive Fulbright Scholar Awards in 2017 and 2019 for Teaching and Research at the Alle School of Fine Arts and Design (ASFAD) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and continues to collaborate with colleagues there.

Admission is free.

A lunch will be served at 11:45 a.m., followed by the talk at 12 p.m. Please r.s.v.p. through CIRCA by April 22.