Photos courtesy of Southern University of New Orleans African Studies Department
Charlotte Gordon, artistic director of the Southern Ohio Museum, selected items from the Southern University of New Orleans’ permanent collection of African art, and co-curator Bettye Stull selected works by seven contemporary African-American artists for In Touch with the Spirit.
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Included in the exhibition are works by Willis Bing Davis, Carolyn Crump, Francine Haskins, Napoleon Jones Henderson, David MacDonald, Carolyn Mazoomi and Barbara Nicholson. Among the objects are large Zulu ceramic beer bowls, raffia cloths from Zaire and Mende helmet masks from Sierra Leone, which are individually made for young women when they celebrate their initiation into adulthood.
Most artists take great pains in the preparation of their materials before completing a work. In the case of the Mbuti, from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the making of the materials was broken into two stages.
The men of the community prepare the bark of a tree by pounding the wood fibers into a paper-like surface, also referred to as bark paper. This is then prepared for painting. From this point on, the women take over and paint onto the surface intricate designs that have been part of their culture for millennia.
Themes often focus on ancestors, rituals, rites of passage and community.
“African crafts are made to communicate,” says Gordon. “These objects communicate history, ancestry, community and traditions.”
The exhibition will be on view from Jan. 24 to April 12 at the Southern Ohio Museum, located in Portsmouth.
Information about this and other exhibitions may be found at www.somacc.com.
Nationally renowned local artist Michael McEwan teaches painting and drawing classes at his Clintonville area studio.