You don’t have to travel thousand of miles to see African Art or witness African culture. In fact, you can appreciate the arts and exhibition not far from your home.
You may start to wonder: “how?” Well, starting in 2012, the Museum for African Art will feature African art from around the world in its new building on Museum Mile in New York City.
The Museum for African Art, MAA, opened to the public in 1984 and has continuously held African exhibitions and education classes about African Art from Africa and the Diaspora. The MAA moved through several addresses before settling into Museum Mile on East110 Street and Fifth Avenue. This new facility, designed by Robert A.M. Stern, is approximately 90,000 square feet and will contain a theater, library, event space, restaurant, gift shop, and education center, as well as classrooms.
Until its opening in 2012, the MAA continues to hold traveling exhibitions from all over the world. The MAA will also host programs educating school children and adults about unique and thought provoking artwork from Africa.
The artwork that will be displayed will use several mediums to depict art; including photography, painting, fabrics, metals, ivory, clay, wood, beads and other natural resources. The collections that will be on display at the MAA characterize political power, death, birth, ceremonial rituals, people and cultures.
Some of the traveling exhibitions that will be on display have visited over 100 cities. They include: El Anatsui: When Last I wrote to You About Africa, Grass Roosts: African Origins of an American Art, A Congo Chronicle: Patrice Lumumba in Urban Art; Desert Jewels: North African Jewelry and Photography from the Xavier Guerrand-Hermes Collection; Dynasty and Divinity: Ife Art in Ancient Nigeria.
Face2Face Africa is extremely excited for the Museum of African Art to open. We cannot wait for people from all over the world visiting New York City to get a taste of Africa!
For more information regarding traveling exhibitions and programs, visit the MAA website at: www.africanart.org.
Photos via Google Images
