wearing blanket by Ndebele peoples

Roots and Journeys

North Balcony Gallery

The gallery of Global Indigenous Arts at the Spencer Museum of Art explores artistic inspirations gleaned from nature, heritage, and transcendent experiences. From ancient instruments to reverse glass paintings, these objects speak to the connections of people to place, the importance of traditions, and the essential creativity of the human spirit.

Sculptural works from around the world serve as anchors for discrete segments of the gallery hosting rotations of arts and cultural works from the University’s former ethnographic collections. These works, now accessioned into the Spencer’s collection, are presented in dialogue with new acquisitions and rarely seen works to create new synergies and thought-provoking engagements.


Selected images