The Middlebury Campus

Issue date: 9/19/07 Section: Arts

Media Credit: Angela Evancie More than 80 African sculptures comprise the Middlebury College Museum of Art's newest exhibition, including an intricately assembled masquerade dance costume. [Click to enlarge]

An issue forever surrounding the art world concerns art's capacity to affect, to stir, to touch the viewer. Is art more than just something pretty or interesting to look at, or is it conceived with a greater goal in mind? "Resonance from the Past: African Sculpture from the New Orleans Museum of Art," a compelling, ebullient season-opener for the Middlebury College Museum of Art (MCMA) and its first major African Art exhibition in over a decade, gives this question great intellectual nourishment. The show, on loan from the New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA) and guest curated by Frank Herreman of NOMA, opened , Sept. 18.

In many African cultures, the connection between objects and the spiritual world is a strong one, and a connection manifested in the works of "Resonance from the Past."

"Many African sculptures embody the spirits of ancestors or higher powers," said Robert P. Youngman Curator of Asian Art Colin Mackenzie. "The work is not about beauty, it's about power - the power of the spirit."

The more than 80 works of art in the show, created in Central and Sub-Saharan Africa from the late 17th to the second half of the 20th century, were mostly used in spiritual ceremonies or created for the purpose of worship, initiation or commemoration. Masks, figures, ivory statuettes, architectural elements, ceramics, costumes and beadwork vibrantly embody the inspirations, beliefs and talents of well over 20 African tribes and seem to resonate with the inspirations of their creators.

The objects are arranged according to their region of origin, creating a kind of artistic map of Sub-Saharan Africa. Western Nigeria Benin, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Cote d'Ivoire, Southeastern Nigeria, Cameroon, Congo, Mali and Burkina Faso are all represented. The broad time period and the large number of works, makes this geographical organization not only effective but necessary. Also well thought out is the circular space in the center of the gallery, created by two crescent walls. The space creates a nucleus of energy, perhaps meant to evoke the center square of an African town or the circular motion of a ritual dance.

Continued...

Page 1 of 4 next >

Article Tools