MAJESTIC AFRICAN TEXTILES Indianapolis—A new exhibition titled Majestic African Textiles, at the Indianapolis Museum of Art through March 2, 2014, presents a spectacular array of royal and prestige cloths, masking and ritual garments, and superbly beaded and embellished objects from across the African continent. Featuring more than sixty pieces drawn from the museum’s extensive permanent collection 54 and augmented with a few major loans, the show highlights a significant and diverse group of richly patterned and elaborately decorated textiles, most of which served as potent symbols of power and wealth. Organized geographically and representing various African ethnic groups, Majestic African Textiles is the first exhibition to bring together a large number of the IMA’s prized African textiles, which it has been collecting since 1918, in order to showcase their splendor and significance. COMMAND PERFORMANCE Honolulu—The people of the Kuba Kingdom in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo have long produced textiles so highly coveted that as a culture they were referred to as the “people of the cloth.” The Kuba wove the leaves of the raffia palm (Raphia textilis) into fabric for ceremonial court adornment, prestige cloths for negotiating social status, and performance regalia. Women employed distinctive and intricate embroidery, appliqué, or cut pile techniques to embellish the plain cloths that were traditionally woven by men. The Kuba aesthetic is marked by deliberate contrasts in surface texture, color, and line, as well as the interplay of geometry, symmetry, juxtaposition, and aesthetic preferences, all masterfully configured into complex and sophisticated abstractions. These striking textile creations are the subject of a new exhibition, Command Performance: Kuba Cloths from Central Africa, which will be on view through July 21, 2013, at the Honolulu Art Museum. SYMMETRY/ASYMMETRY Atlanta—Symmetry/Asymmetry: African Textiles, Dress, and Adornment, at the High Museum of Art until August 25, 2013, draws attention to African textiles as abstract works of art and highlights their kinetic aspect that engages multiple senses. More than forty examples of African textiles, dress, and adornment from throughout the continent are presented. Together they form a broad spectrum of art spanning more than 7,000 years of artistic innovation, from a Neolithic stone bracelet to twentieth- and twenty-first century commemorative cloths emblazoned with the faces of Kwame Nkrumah, Nelson Mandela, and Barack Obama. A selection of indigo cloths from West Africa and Kuba textiles from Central Africa are also featured, adding a rich range of symmetric and asymmetric designs. BIRD MOTHERS AND FEATHERED SERPENTS Gainesville, FL—Every human culture has narrated its beginning and its worldview—including the phenomena and creatures of the world around it—through myth. A new exhibition at the Samuel P. Harn Museum until January 1, 2014, focuses on mythological beings in art from Oceania and Ancient America using objects drawn from the museum’s collection. Each object in Bird Mothers and Feathered Serpents: Mythical Beings of Oceania and Ancient America represents a fascinating character—a culture hero, a deity, or a spirit being. Their attributes and deeds reflect human understanding of the cosmos and played a role in shaping social and cultural ideas for a particular group of people. Oceanic works are from Melanesia, particularly the Sepik River region, the Papuan Gulf, New Britain, and New Ireland. Ancient American works are from Mesoamerica, Central America, and throughout the Andean region. ABOVE: Man’s wrapper, kente. Ewe, Ghana. 1940s–1950s. Cotton. The Budd Stalnaker Collection of African Textiles. BELOW: Hat. Yoruba, Nigeria. C. 1900. Velvet, metal fringe, metal sequins, metal braids, woven tape with metallic threads. Indianapolis Museum of Art, Caroline Marmon Fesler Fund. BACKGROUND: Man's prestige cloth. Shoowa, Kasai Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo. First half of 20th century. Raffia palm fiber. 66 x 35 cm. Collection of Michael Mack. Photo courtesy of the High Museum of Art, Atlanta. LEFT: Panel from a ceremonial overskirt. Democratic Republic of the Congo, 20th century. Raffia palm fiber, plain weave, appliqué. Honolulu Museum of Art, museum purchase, 1986 (5653.1). RIGHT: Seated companion urn. Zapotec, Valley of Oaxaca, Mexico. AD 300—500. Terracotta. Samuel P. Harn Museum, gift of Mrs. A. H. Spivack, in memory of Dr. A. H. Spivack.
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