"Art of Central Africa" at Asian Civilizations Museum, Singapore

Congo River: Arts of Central Africa is now on display at the Asian Civilizations Museum in Singapore. Known as the 'river that swallows all rivers," the Congo today links the nations of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Republic of Congo and Gabon. Drawing from the Musee du quai Branly and other European collections of African art, Congo River: Arts of Central Africa is the first exhibit of its kind to be held in Southeast Asia. 

Central Africa is home to various Bantu-speaking peoples with a shared past. The artistic heritage of this region has often been studied as the art of disparate groups of unrelated cultures. These cultures are nevertheless linked by themes that stretch across a region that is 5,000 times the size of Singapore. Themes include heart-shaped masks, reliquary figures for ancestor veneration and female representations. 

The exhibition links diverse cultures as well three modern nations, whose rich artistic traditions are explored. The show features beautifully crafted sculptures, masks and ancestor figures, and highlights their importance in ceremonies, rituals, and dances. The visual power of these objects have long impressed collectors and artists, and the exhibition also displays works by Pablo Picasso, who in the early 20th century was strongly influence by African art as he developed his modernist style. 

A full range of programs for families, adults and students will be held in conjunction with the exhibition. 

Source: Asian Civilizations Museum, Singapore

African Art Museum to stay in Historic Oakland for now

The African Art Museum of Maryland will continue to operate in Historic Oakland for another year, heading off an impending relocation at the end of the month that operators say would have proved a real hardship for the not-for-profit organization.

But while the museum will not have to move, the search for more spacious quarters, with improved accessibility and visibility, is continuing, Doris Ligon, the museum's director, stressed.

A new lease with the Town Center Village Association that would begin June 1 is being reviewed by the museum's attorney, and Ligon said she expects it to be signed and delivered by Monday.

"Many people intervened on our behalf since the first newspaper article [on April 23] alerted them to our plight," she said. "But we're not going to let ourselves get that close to being without a home again."

The museum had given two months' notice in August that it would not renew its lease with the village association, which operates the 19th-century manor home off Vantage Point Road on behalf of the Columbia Association. Ligon founded the museum in 1980 with her husband, Claude, and it has been housed at Historic Oakland since 1989.

That five-year contract was due to expire Nov. 30, 2009, but was extended by six months to May 31, 2010, at the request of the museum's board of trustees.

But as the end of May approached, the museum had not managed to secure new quarters and the village association had begun its search for a replacement tenant. Now the museum has 12 more months to continue the hunt.

A year was the minimum term offered by the village association, Ligon said, and the museum's monthly rent was raised by nearly $200, to $1,400.

"As a nonprofit organization we'd rather not pay more, of course, but we didn't haggle over the increase; we believe it to be fair," she said.

Joel Abramson, attorney for the village association, said the village board should be commended for it decision to work with the museum's board.

"This is the best deal in town," said Abramson. "The board is not making any money on this and could have rented the space at a profit to someone else. But to their credit they made the decision to keep the museum in there, and we're happy to have them back for another year."

The museum is displaying 3,000 artifacts in 1,200 square feet of space on the second floor of Oakland, which can only be reached by stairs. Ligon estimated that 3,000 square feet is needed for optimum exhibition of the museum's holdings, noting that some items are in storage.

Housed in the galleries are a wall-sized mural, sculptures, wood carvings, musical instruments, masks, jewelry, baskets and textiles, all of which were donated.

"We need this year and we're very glad that we have it," Ligon said. "It's a relief to know we can continue to serve the public without interruption."

Source: The Baltimore Sun

By Janene Holzberg

Maryland’s African Art Museum Still Looking For New Home

Lease at Historic Oakland expires May 31; director, trustees say they’re optimistic

At the end of May, a mere six weeks from now, the African Art Museum of Maryland will have a new home somewhere, preferably still in Columbia.

The board of the museum, a not-for-profit institution that is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, gave notice last August of its plans to move out of Historic Oakland, where it has operated since 1989.

Though the museum's lease expires May 31, it has not secured new quarters.

"We have been actively looking at new spaces for over a year and have gotten some positive leads," said Doris Ligon, the museum's executive director. "We need more display room and a location that is ADA-compliant" to provide access for patrons with physical disabilities. The current galleries can be reached only by stairs.

Ligon said 3,000 square feet is the minimum space needed for operation of the museum, which has two private collections of African art waiting in Baltimore to go on exhibit. But museum officials are willing to accept far less space on a temporary basis.

"We would take a closet [in the interim] if we had to, so that we can remain open and still qualify for grants while we continue our search," she said.

The museum has about 3,000 artifacts on display in about 1,200 square feet of space in two rooms on the second floor of Historic Oakland, the 19th-century manor home off Vantage Point Road in Town Center.

Housed in the galleries are a wall-size mural, sculptures, wood carvings, musical instruments, masks, jewelry, baskets and textiles, all of which were donated.

One of the most memorable gifts came from a master weaver who left his home in Senegal for the first time to create a tapestry in the museum on his own loom that had been shipped ahead, Ligon said. The brightly colored butterfly design took two weeks from start to finish, she recalled, and it was thrilling to watch it take shape in front of museum staff and visitors.

Despite the fast-approaching deadline to leave the current space, Ligon said she and the museum's board of trustees remain optimistic about the situation.

"There is no gloom and doom," she said. "We are not wringing our hands in despair, though we know this is serious. But difficult and impossible are not the same thing."

Lease negotiations between the museum and the Town Center Village Association, which operates the facility on behalf of the Columbia Association, were handled by attorney Joel Abramson.

"We were concerned when they first notified us that they would not be renewing their lease," Abramson said. "They have been good tenants, and we were always happy to have them providing a valuable service there."

The association agreed to the museum board's request for an additional six-month extension beyond the Nov. 30, 2009, expiration date of its most recent five-year lease agreement. The museum did not request any further extensions, the attorney said.

After the last day was agreed upon, the Town Center Village Association began searching for a new tenant and is "already in the process of leasing the space," said Patricia Laidig, village manager.

Ligon co-founded the museum in 1980 with her husband, Claude, who died in 2005. They initially dubbed it Gallery Ligon and ran it from their Columbia home.

"I am amazed at what we've been able to accomplish, starting out with no money, no resources and no art," she said. "My husband was a visionary, and we were very fortunate."

The museum soon relocated to underused space at Phelps Luck Elementary School before moving to the former Rockland Arts Center in Ellicott City, she said. Oakland is the museum's third official home and is run by Ligon, who is full time and draws no salary, one part-time paid staff person, and a corps of 20 volunteers.

"We didn't invent African art and we didn't invent museology," she said. "But we don't start things to not continue them. It's a goal that we set and we're not going to stop operating."

Board member Vivian Dixon concurred.

"I believe in divine intervention, and I believe the space is out there," Dixon said. "It only takes one person to say ‘yes' to make this happen."

Mary Schiller, manager of the county public school system's Partnerships Office, called the museum a "wonderful resource" and expressed her hope that it will be able to relocate soon.

"The museum has long been involved in the community, giving students hands-on knowledge of African culture and bringing the curriculum to life," she said, though a formal HCPSS partnership agreement was just signed in December.

"The world has become a global community and the museum has broadened our students' awareness of the world they will one day inherit," Schiller said, especially by bringing artifacts into the classroom.

"Our thing is education," Ligon said, noting that aside from visiting schools, museum representatives also travel to senior centers and businesses to give presentations.

On top of gaining additional space, new quarters would also give the museum greater license to expand its board of trustees from 16 to 25 members and broaden its diversity even further, Ligon said.

Recently, trustee Joe Mitchell came up with an idea to start the Century Club, a group for members who are willing to donate $1,000 to the museum, she noted.

"Obviously, it would only take 100 people for us to raise $100,000," she said. The club has attracted 15 people in addition to the museum's 200 regular members. Annual memberships range from $20 for students and seniors to $175 for community organizations.

While the search for a home continues, the museum board has kept its annual fundraiser firmly on its agenda.

Ligon said the Baltimore-Washington JazzFest will still perform for the "Claude Ligon House of Jazz" at Historic Oakland from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. June 19, this year relocated to the first floor since the museum will have moved out of its current space weeks before that date.

"We are lucky enough to know that we have worked hard and produced marvelous experiences," said Ligon, noting that JazzFest is one of their premier events. "We owe our greatest thanks to Jim Rouse who, by creating Columbia, gave us a reason to thrive and grow.

"We will go on and we will stay in Columbia — it's our home," she said.

For information about the museum or the jazz festival, call 410-730-7106 or go to africanartmuseum.org.


Source: The Baltimore Sun
By Janene Holzberg

Contemporary Nigerian Artist Yinka Shonibare's Show is Successful, but Finished

Nigerian artist Yinka Shonibare MBE’s exhibition closed Sunday, March 7th completing his four-month run at the National Museum of African Art.

Since November, visitors have trekked across the Smithsonian to view 14 years worth of the British-born artist’s most celebrated works. These pieces include a colorful mixture of photography, film, sculpture, paintings and large-scale mixed media.

Shonibare’s artworks explore the themes of retaining African identity in light of British colonialism and the Enlightenment era’s debate over rationality versus irrationality. They also reflect his ancestry, which includes Nigerian and British roots. The MBE in his name stands for Member of the Order of the British Empire.

Viewers of Shonibare’s exhibit have spanned the globe, attracting visitors as far away as Europe.

“I enjoy the way he conceptualizes his art,” said Suzanne from Germany. “It’s both beautiful and political.”

District resident Muhammad Salaam agreed.

“He’s depicting what’s actually happening in the world,” said Salaam. “That includes colonialism and of course, the rape and murder of a whole nation of people.”

The 48-year-old artist’s paintings include Dutch wax print fabric. Since the mid-1990s, Shonibare has blended politics and aestheticism with his use of this material. Manufactured in Europe for the West African market between the early 19th and 20th centuries, the wax fabric represents both mercenary and racial relationships between Europe, Asia and Africa.

As far as sculpture, Shonibare usually creates headless figures and drapes them in ornately designed clothing reminiscent of the period preceding the French Revolution. He references art history for his sculptures, drawing inspiration from the works of French painter Jean-Honore Fragonard.

While Shonibare’s sculptures borrow from art history, his photography draws from past literature.

Of Shonibare’s two major suites of photographs featured at the African Art museum, his depiction of Oscar Wilde’s Dorian Gray drew the most attention. Gray centers on a man who forfeits his soul to prevent aging; he succumbs to moral decay as a result. Shonibare captures Gray’s dilemma in a series of black and white photographs presented in a linear sequence.
Visitors crowded around the piece and shared their thoughts.

“I’m a huge fan of Oscar Wilde and of his novel, ‘Dorian Gray,’” said Amy from Ohio. “This is unlike anything I’ve seen, though. I think it’s more emotionally intensive seeing this in still photograph form as opposed to reading it or even watching the film. You’re forced to ponder it. There’s no background noise.”

With reactions like these, it comes as little to no surprise that Shonibare’s exhibition has run so long.

Source: The Hilltop Online, Howard University

By: Jessica Harper