Race, Gender, and the "Decorative" in 20th-Century African Art: Reimagining Boundaries | Spencer Museum of Art

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Exhibition

Race, Gender, and the "Decorative" in 20th-Century African Art: Reimagining Boundaries

Race, Gender, and the "Decorative" in 20th-Century African Art: Reimagining Boundaries

Cassandra Mesick Braun, curator
Jessica Gerschultz, curator

Gallery 404, Spencer Museum of Art, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas

This exhibition explored the U.S. institutional frameworks for African art in museums throughout the 20th century using a historiographic approach that critiques history, historians, and historical trends. This exhibition accompanied Civic Leader and Art Collector: Sallie Casey Thayer and an Art Museum for KU, the major exhibition for fall 2017 that displayed hundreds of objects from Thayer’s original gift that established the Spencer Museum and our collection, because Thayer’s original gift largely excluded African art from its otherwise expansive geographic and cultural scope.

Exhibition images

Works of art

Aaron Douglas (1899–1979); Opportunity Magazine; Langston Hughes (1902–1967), cover, Opportunity Art Folio — cover, Opportunity Art Folio

Aaron Douglas, Opportunity Magazine, Langston Hughes

1926

unrecorded Mamluk artist, brass pot — brass pot

unrecorded Mamluk artist

1250–1517

unrecorded Chokwe artist, bellows — bellows

unrecorded Chokwe artist

late 1800s–1908

unrecorded Amhara artist, cuff bracelet — cuff bracelet

unrecorded Amhara artist

late 1800s–1945

unrecorded Amhara artist, cuff bracelet — cuff bracelet

unrecorded Amhara artist

late 1800s–1945

unrecorded Amhara or Tigray artist, anklet — anklet

unrecorded Amhara or Tigray artist

late 1800s–early 1900s

unrecorded Asante artist, weight — weight

unrecorded Asante artist

late 1800s–early 1900s

unrecorded Asante artist, weight — weight

unrecorded Asante artist

late 1800s–early 1900s

unrecorded Asante artist, weight — weight

unrecorded Asante artist

late 1800s–early 1900s

unrecorded Asante artist, weight — weight

unrecorded Asante artist

late 1800s–early 1900s

unrecorded Asante artist, weight — weight

unrecorded Asante artist

late 1800s–early 1900s

unrecorded Asante artist, weight — weight

unrecorded Asante artist

late 1800s–early 1900s

unrecorded Asante artist, weight — weight

unrecorded Asante artist

late 1800s–early 1900s

unrecorded Asante artist, weight — weight

unrecorded Asante artist

late 1800s–early 1900s

unrecorded Asante artist, weight — weight

unrecorded Asante artist

late 1800s–early 1900s

unrecorded Oyo artist, egungun mask — egungun mask

unrecorded Oyo artist

late 1950s

unrecorded Ndebele artist, khomitshi (beaded panel) — khomitshi (beaded panel)

unrecorded Ndebele artist

late 1900s–1979

unrecorded Ndebele artist, anklet — anklet

unrecorded Ndebele artist

late 1900s–1982

unrecorded Ndebele artist, neck ring — neck ring

unrecorded Ndebele artist

late 1900s–1982

unrecorded Kuba artist, cloth — cloth

unrecorded Kuba artist

late 1800s–1975

unrecorded Maasai artist, men's arm ornament — men's arm ornament

unrecorded Maasai artist

late 1800s–1968

wall hanging — wall hanging

late 1800s–1929

spindle — spindle

late 1800s–1967

spindle — spindle

late 1800s–1967

spindle — spindle

late 1800s–1967

unrecorded Zulu artist, beer pot — beer pot

unrecorded Zulu artist

1925–1990

unrecorded Zulu artist, wooden spoon — wooden spoon

unrecorded Zulu artist

1925–1990

unrecorded Ganda artist, bottle — bottle

unrecorded Ganda artist

1925–1990

unrecorded Maasai artist, beaded belt — beaded belt

unrecorded Maasai artist

1925–1990

unrecorded Tuareg artist, tent post — tent post

unrecorded Tuareg artist

1925–1990

unrecorded Tuareg artist, tent post — tent post

unrecorded Tuareg artist

1925–1990

unrecorded Tuareg artist, tent post — tent post

unrecorded Tuareg artist

1925–1990

unrecorded Akan artist, gold weight — gold weight

unrecorded Akan artist

late 1800s–early 1900s

unrecorded Hausa-Fulani artist, embroidered hat — embroidered hat

unrecorded Hausa-Fulani artist

1980

unrecorded Hausa-Fulani artist, blue and white Kano cloth — blue and white Kano cloth

unrecorded Hausa-Fulani artist

1980

woolen textile — woolen textile

1980

unrecorded Akan artist, gold weight — gold weight

unrecorded Akan artist

late 1800s–early 1900s

unrecorded Akan artist, gold weight — gold weight

unrecorded Akan artist

late 1800s–early 1900s

unrecorded Akan artist, gold weight — gold weight

unrecorded Akan artist

late 1800s–early 1900s

unrecorded Akan artist, gold weight — gold weight

unrecorded Akan artist

late 1800s–early 1900s

Jellal Ben Abdallah (1921–2017), Orchestre sous-marine (Underwater Orchestra) — Orchestre sous-marine (Underwater Orchestra)

Jellal Ben Abdallah

1969

Jellal Ben Abdallah (1921–2017), untitled — untitled

Jellal Ben Abdallah

circa 1980s

Jellal Ben Abdallah (1921–2017), untitled sketch ("underwater orchestra") — untitled sketch ("underwater orchestra")

Jellal Ben Abdallah

circa 1960s

unrecorded Nupe artist, Esapa Korina (horse covering) — Esapa Korina (horse covering)

unrecorded Nupe artist

circa 1980

unrecorded Hausa or Nupe artist, Esapa Korina (horse covering) — Esapa Korina (horse covering)

unrecorded Hausa or Nupe artist

circa 1980

unrecorded Khoisan artist, headband — headband

unrecorded Khoisan artist

circa 1980

unrecorded Batwa artist, bark cloth — bark cloth

unrecorded Batwa artist

1994

Events

December 1, 2017

Screening

As I Open My Eyes

1:00–3:00PM

Spencer Museum of Art Auditorium, Rm 309

February 18, 2018

Talk

Race, Gender, and the “Decorative” in 20th-century African Art

2:00–3:00PM

Spencer Museum of Art, Larry and Barbara Marshall Family Balcony, 404

March 8, 2018

Talk

Race, Gender, and the “Decorative” in 20th- Century African Art: Re-imagining Boundaries

10:00–11:00AM

Spencer Museum of Art, Larry and Barbara Marshall Family Balcony, 404

March 10, 2018

Activity

Textile Printing

1:00–4:00PM

Spencer Museum of Art, Larry and Barbara Marshall Family Balcony, 404

April 13, 2018

Talk

Mobilizing Movement: Approaches to Displaying Nomadic Objects

2:00–3:00PM

Spencer Museum of Art, Larry and Barbara Marshall Family Balcony, 404

Resources

Documents

Media Coverage

Exhibition Labels (Formatted)

Media Release