Moth to Cloth: Silk in Africa (Fig. 1) focused on a fiber not typically associated with African textiles: silk. This important exhibition curated by Roslyn Walker, Senior Curator of the Arts of Africa, the Americas, and the Pacific and The Margaret McDermott Curator of African Art, brought attention to the role of silk and silk production in Ghana, Nigeria, and Madagascar during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Throughout the gallery, Walker curated areas where the viewer could see beyond the displayed museum objects and reflect on the process and raw materials. By doing this, she posed the question: Where is African silk today?Moth to Cloth showcased five distinct garments, allowing viewers to see a variety of silk and silk sources available to weavers and textile producers in each country. Silk has been part of textile production across the continent for centuries. There is not just one type of silk used in Africa. African silk has come from foraged cocoons, deconstructed imported silk cloth, and cultivated silk from imported and domestic silkworms. The textiles ranged from symmetrical rectangular wraps to asymmetrical robes. They each shared a depth of layered techniques, from processing, spinning, and dyeing the silk to finishing the woven fibers with inlay or embroidery. Symbolically, the use of silk combined with the expertise and labor intensity involved in the production would have elevated the status of the wearer.In the gallery, I first encountered a nineteenth century lamba akotifahana textile from the Merina Kingdom of Madagascar (Fig. 2). To make this rectangular cloth, a weaver used cultivated silk produced from moths imported into the country. This piece stood out due to the rich naturally dyed colors and the luster of the silk brocade on the surface. The skill needed to execute each step of the process, including procuring silk fibers, natural dyeing, and woven brocade, would have secured the luxury status of this object. Given as gifts to diplomats and used by royals and aristocrats, a silk lamba could signify the high social position of the wearer. In displaying these textiles to their full size and allowing viewers to get as close as possible, the DMA allowed visitors to visually travel across the surface to explore the intersections of color, line, and shape.Next, I saw the soft creams and tans of wild silk and cotton in a Nigerian man's prestige robe from the early twentieth century (Fig. 3), one of two pieces in the exhibition made from domestic wild silk (sanyan), acquired by hunters who foraged for the prized cocoons. Once processed into yarn, the silk closely resembles finely spun cotton or linen. In this garment, a vertical strip of cotton cloth intersects the cream, adding another visual layer to an already complex surface in what might have been the weaver's signature. Hand embroidered designs decorate both the front and back. Their density covers a significant portion of the cloth, with variations on spirals and other shapes.Moth to Cloth included two silk kente cloths from Ghana. Once worn exclusively by royals, chiefs, and notables, these rectangular cloths would have been reserved for ceremonial occasions. Asante weavers began working with silk in the 1700s when they collected silk acquired from diplomatic gifts or trade goods. They would unravel the warp and weft of imported silk cloth, and then use these fibers on a foot treadle loom to produce narrow strips of highly patterned cloth. Artisans next hand-stitched the strips together to form large rectangular pieces, which would be worn like a toga or wrapped skirt (Fig. 4). Each color and symbol on the cloth would carry personal meaning to the wearer, signifying their family lineage, historical events, elements of nature, or proverbs.By designing an entire exhibition focused on silk textiles in Africa, Walker spotlit a fiber that is currently underrepresented in contemporary African textile production. Many factors may affect its absence, including the high cost of raw materials in combination with the specialized knowledge it would require to weave with the silk fibers. By creatively curating the space to include both museum objects and narrative displays (Fig. 5), she gave significant historical and cultural context to each textile. In this exhibition, visitors were also given the chance to watch the process of silk production, from the life cycle of a silkworm to the process of harvesting and turning it into cloth. Several displays of silk cocoons further demystified silk and its origins. A map of Africa illustrated the types of endemic moths present in each country represented, including simple drawings of the moths accompanied by their scientific names. To help the viewer gain a deeper understanding of the textile terminology, short definitions for several textile terms were listed.Moth to Cloth encouraged visitors to see the process, understand the materials, and envision the steps it takes to create one of these garments. It aimed to educate the viewer on the importance silk played in each culture and the specific way it was used in textile production. This exhibition underscored silk's importance to the many African cultures it has been a part of for centuries and provided a fascinating glimpse into this exquisite raw material. Viewers were sure to leave curious to know more about the contemporary role of silk in African textiles and how its use has evolved from these prestige garments of the past. As many global consumer habits are changing towards more sustainable, locally sourced specialty materials, I left the exhibition hopeful that African silk will reemerge and again make its way to the forefront of African textile design.