New on View

New African Objects on View

Six nineteenth- and twentieth-century African masks, on loan from Wisconsin collectors Ralph and Jo Wickstrom, are now on view in the niche case between Brittingham Galleries VII and VIII. Representing the diverse cultural practices of the Senufo, Bozo, Ibibio, Dan, and Yaka peoples of Western and Central Africa, these spectacular masks were created for ceremonial purposes. Worn in performance, masks manifest normally invisible spiritual entities by giving them form and substance, color and movement, sounds and smells. Mediating between otherworldly and worldly realms, masks celebrate ancestors, gods, and goddesses and encourage them to work for the benefit of humankind.

UW-Madison professor and adjunct curator of African art Henry Drewal will teach a seminar this spring, “Carnival Arts of the African Diaspora,” about masking traditions in Africa and the ways ritual practices are transformed in the African Americas. As part of their coursework his students will study the masks on view at the Chazen.

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