Memphis, Tenn. (TN Tribune) — The African art collection at the Art Museum of the University of Memphis has grown recently. It has expanded so much, in fact, that the collection of nearly 800 items is now on display—in its entirety—through Saturday, Sept. 14.
It is a rare treat for visitors to any museum to get to see an entire collection on display. Much of the time, pieces are securely stored away and brought out only during specific exhibits.
“It’s not a conventional interpretive exhibition,” said Leslie Luebbers, director of the Art Museum. “Instead, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see everything, including for us, as we plan the reinstallation of the expanded African galleries.”
“African art and cultural objects have become AMUM’s central collection,” Luebbers continued. “And it will continue to grow.”
The collection began with about 70 objects, and has grown significantly through a series of donations and purchases thanks to the support of an endowment given to the museum for the purpose of acquiring African art. The Fogelman collection, donated in 2008, includes 198 pieces, and is all now revealed. Objects in the collection include pieces from the recent “Woven Arts of Africa” exhibit, as well as an additional 450 artworks from collector Dianne Blane.
The objects are loosely displayed according to type and purpose, whether ceremonial or practical. The largest objects, not counting the full dimensions of textiles, are the Dogon architectural elements—the granary door and carved pillars. The smallest are the sculptural gold weights—not gold themselves, but weights used in a balance to measure quantities of gold.
According to Luebbers, the small museum staff of five, plus three student workers, are still investigating and assigning objects to cultural groups and regions.
“Before we received the Blane gifts, most of the collection came from West Africa and Central Africa,” she said. “With this recent gift, we have much more from East and Southern Africa, so the collection is now more broadly representative of the continent’s indigenous peoples.”
The largest number of objects come from present-day Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Barundi and Rwanda with smaller representations from Malawi, Tanzania, Kenya and South Africa.
The oldest pieces in the exhibit are the archeological objects from the ancient Sao culture of Central Africa, while the newest is a sample-sized fish-shaped coffin by the famous Ghanian sculptor and coffin maker, Pa Joe.
According to Luebbers, the exhibit is a work in progress as part of the museum’s strategic plan. There will be collection cards in the galleries for visitors to leave feedback, including information they may have from personal collections and connections.
The goal of the exhibit, which was born of the necessity to empty the former African gallery and open storage for renovation, was to see everything African thing in the collection in one place.
This will allow the museum to envision a series of future exhibitions that may focus on religion, gender roles, cultural exchange, the arts (making and performing) and domestic life.
“The entire purpose of this effort is to create a new, expanded program,” Luebbers said. “’All of Africa’ is the first public step.”
Admission to the Art Museum of the UofM is free. The museum is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on University holidays and between temporary exhibitions.
