History, Context and Materials: Objects from the Permanent Collection

Some 40 objects demonstrate three areas of study in the field of African art: some objects were selected because they can be attributed; some objects were chosen for their content and are displayed with field photographs to show them in context; the third group illustrates the various materials and processes used to create traditional African art. Among the objects on view are an 18th-century fired-clay head made by the Akan people of Ghana; a pair of hammered- gold earrings of the Fulani people of Mali; a hand-built fired-clay vessel from the Tsio people of the People's Republic of Congo; beaded hats from the Topotha people of the Democratic Republic of Sudan; and a cast-gold pendant from the Akan people of the Ivory Coast.