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

November 11, 2017–May 6, 2018

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

cover, Opportunity Art Folio, Aaron Douglas; Opportunity Magazine; Langston Hughes — Aaron Douglas; Opportunity Magazine; Langston Hughes

cover, Opportunity Art Folio, 1926

brass pot, unrecorded Mamluk artist — unrecorded Mamluk artist

brass pot, 1250–1517

bellows, unrecorded Chokwe artist — unrecorded Chokwe artist

bellows, late 1800s–1908

cuff bracelet, unrecorded Amhara artist — unrecorded Amhara artist

cuff bracelet, late 1800s–1945

cuff bracelet, unrecorded Amhara artist — unrecorded Amhara artist

cuff bracelet, late 1800s–1945

anklet, unrecorded Amhara or Tigray artist — unrecorded Amhara or Tigray artist

anklet, late 1800s–early 1900s

weight, unrecorded Asante artist — unrecorded Asante artist

weight, late 1800s–early 1900s

weight, unrecorded Asante artist — unrecorded Asante artist

weight, late 1800s–early 1900s

weight, unrecorded Asante artist — unrecorded Asante artist

weight, late 1800s–early 1900s

weight, unrecorded Asante artist — unrecorded Asante artist

weight, late 1800s–early 1900s

weight, unrecorded Asante artist — unrecorded Asante artist

weight, late 1800s–early 1900s

weight, unrecorded Asante artist — unrecorded Asante artist

weight, late 1800s–early 1900s

weight, unrecorded Asante artist — unrecorded Asante artist

weight, late 1800s–early 1900s

weight, unrecorded Asante artist — unrecorded Asante artist

weight, late 1800s–early 1900s

weight, unrecorded Asante artist — unrecorded Asante artist

weight, late 1800s–early 1900s

egungun mask, unrecorded Oyo artist — unrecorded Oyo artist

egungun mask, late 1950s

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

khomitshi (beaded panel), late 1900s–1979

anklet, unrecorded Ndebele artist — unrecorded Ndebele artist

anklet, late 1900s–1982

neck ring, unrecorded Ndebele artist — unrecorded Ndebele artist

neck ring, late 1900s–1982

cloth, unrecorded Kuba artist — unrecorded Kuba artist

cloth, late 1800s–1975

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

men's arm ornament, late 1800s–1968

wall hanging — unrecorded Maasai artist

wall hanging, late 1800s–1929

spindle — unrecorded Maasai artist

spindle, late 1800s–1967

spindle — unrecorded Maasai artist

spindle, late 1800s–1967

spindle — unrecorded Maasai artist

spindle, late 1800s–1967

beer pot, unrecorded Zulu artist — unrecorded Zulu artist

beer pot, 1925–1990

wooden spoon, unrecorded Zulu artist — unrecorded Zulu artist

wooden spoon, 1925–1990

bottle, unrecorded Ganda artist — unrecorded Ganda artist

bottle, 1925–1990

beaded belt, unrecorded Maasai artist — unrecorded Maasai artist

beaded belt, 1925–1990

tent post, unrecorded Tuareg artist — unrecorded Tuareg artist

tent post, 1925–1990

tent post, unrecorded Tuareg artist — unrecorded Tuareg artist

tent post, 1925–1990

tent post, unrecorded Tuareg artist — unrecorded Tuareg artist

tent post, 1925–1990

gold weight, unrecorded Akan artist — unrecorded Akan artist

gold weight, late 1800s–early 1900s

embroidered hat, unrecorded Hausa-Fulani artist — unrecorded Hausa-Fulani artist

embroidered hat, 1980

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

blue and white Kano cloth, 1980

woolen textile — unrecorded Hausa-Fulani artist

woolen textile, 1980

gold weight, unrecorded Akan artist — unrecorded Akan artist

gold weight, late 1800s–early 1900s

gold weight, unrecorded Akan artist — unrecorded Akan artist

gold weight, late 1800s–early 1900s

gold weight, unrecorded Akan artist — unrecorded Akan artist

gold weight, late 1800s–early 1900s

gold weight, unrecorded Akan artist — unrecorded Akan artist

gold weight, late 1800s–early 1900s

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

Orchestre sous-marine (Underwater Orchestra), 1969

untitled, Jellal Ben Abdallah — Jellal Ben Abdallah

untitled, circa 1980s

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

untitled sketch ("underwater orchestra"), circa 1960s

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

Esapa Korina (horse covering), circa 1980

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

Esapa Korina (horse covering), circa 1980

headband, unrecorded Khoisan artist — unrecorded Khoisan artist

headband, circa 1980

bark cloth, unrecorded Batwa artist — unrecorded Batwa artist

bark cloth, 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