National Museum of African Art

I spent the morning on Capitol Hill perusing Capitol Hill books and revealing in the glory that is Peregrine Espresso.  I decided to walk back home since it was such a nice day, but when nice day turned to lightning on the mall, I ducked into the National Museum of African Art.

It's a small museum tucked away from the main museums on the mall and conveniently located at the spot where my umbrella turned inside out.  Founded in 1964 as a private museum, it officially became part of the Smithsonian in 1979.  I started with the Artful Animals exhibit, a display of African artwork and crafts with animal motifs.  http://africa.si.edu/exhibits/animals/index.html  .  I particularly liked the large elephant shaped coffin. 

Fantasy Coffin - Paa Joe - 1945

 

Mami Wata Mask - Guro peoples - Cote d'Ivoire - Mid 20th c

The museum is also featuring an exhibit of Zambian born Paul Emmanuel.  http://africa.si.edu/exhibits/transitions/index.html.  Emmanuel now lives in South Africa and,  for the last several years,  has been focusing on rituals of transition and transformation.  The exhibit is comprised of a video as well as pen and ink drawings displayed in a multiframe cartoon style.  The video focuses on images of new army recruits getting their first haircuts.   Mixed with these are clips from daily army life (the canteen, marches) and some haunting images of hundreds of white T-shirts hung on a clothes line.  The shirts, all alike, allude to the anonymity created by unifroms and shaved heads.  When the wind isn't blowing and the shirts are still, they look hauntingly like rows of white grave stones in a field.  The drawings cover non-military topics from the mundane ritual of a man putting on a suit in the morning to a baby's circumcision. 

I am looking forward to a trip back when the permanent collection is on display.