Njideka Akunyili Crosby, Mama, Mummy and Mamma (Predecessors #2), 2014, Photo by the New Church Museum, Cape Town, South Africa.
The artist Njideka Akunyili Crosby was one of three artists who won the 2017 MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship. This generous grant is awarded to “talented individuals who have shown extraordinary originality and dedication in their creative pursuits and a marked capacity … Continue reading
Benin Bronze of an Oba with Two Assistants, 16th century, brass, 19” x 15”, Benin Kingdom (Nigeria), British Museum, London, Photo by Michel Wai via Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons Share-Alike 3.0 License.
This is one of hundreds of brass sculptures (mistakenly identified as bronze sculptures) created by the Edo people for the palace of the Court of Benin, which was a sprawling cluster of buildings in present-day Nigeria. Today this sculpture and … Continue reading
© 2013 Sally Whitman Coleman, PhD. All rights reserved.
Once the Queen Mother, or the Iyoba, of the Edo People from the Court of Benin in modern day Nigeria, gave birth to the King, or Oba’s, first son, she did not have any more children. She devoted the remainder … Continue reading
Carving by the Makonde tribe of East Africa of an Elephant Shetani, c. 1974, African blackwood, Photo by Gadfium, Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons.
Shetani (noun) The Makonde tribe that lives in Tanzania are master sculptors who create unique and powerful objects that are collected by museums as well as tourists. These works of art that are based upon tribal myths and stories are … Continue reading