Kwanzaa Setting

Kwanzaa Setting
 
 
November 5, 2026 – January 3, 2027
Admissions Lobby
The kinara, Swahili for candleholder, holds seven candles—three red on the left, three green on the right, and a single black candle in the middle—that represent the seven principles that are the foundation of the African American celebration Kwanzaa. As a new candle is lit each day, families discuss one principle’s importance and how it fosters community amongst African Americans.
The glass kinara represents a bridge spanning generations of African American people, and a waterfall cascades behind it to symbolize how they flow together. In this setting is a Kikombe cha Umoja (Unity Cup) signifying the gathering of family in celebration of a rich heritage. Behind the scene, a mirror invites the onlooker to see their reflection and contemplate what Umoja means to them.
Additional pieces in the setting explore more Kwanzaa principles. The Museum’s glassmakers consulted with Museum staff member Joy Epting to create a Mkeka (mat), symbolic of a foundation of African tradition and history; Mazao (crops), represented by the basket of fruit, to pay homage to traditional African harvest celebrations and the people who grow the crops; and Muhindi (corn), representing African American children and the promise of the future. One final piece, Zawadi (gifts), is an African heritage object, in this case a stylized glass replica of a wooden akua’ba figure. It is a female fertility statue of the Akan people.
Kwanzaa Setting was originally designed in 2020 by Jonathan Rowe of Horseheads, New York, and the Rowe Family guided and assisted the Museum’s Hot Glass Team in creating the piece. The collaboration grew out of discussions of Kwanzaa principles, African American history, and the state of race relations in the United States. One key principle surfaced in those conversations as the focal point for discussions of family, community, and the issues at hand: Umoja, or “Unity.”