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90 many museum visitors, African art is synonymous with African masks, and it was considered essential to have a section of the installation dedicated to this art form. African masks serve as supports for deities, spirits, ancestors, and culture heroes, which may be personifi ed as human, animal, or a composite (fi g. 18). Masked dancers do not stand still but move to the sounds and rhythms of drums and other instruments, as well as to the human voice. This section presents a variety of masks from sub- Saharan Africa in a range of types, styles, sizes, and materials. Situated opposite “The Art of Governance” and fl anked by “Art in the Cycle of Life” and “Decorative Arts and Design,” the masks and masquerades are installed on a central platform outfi tted with headphones and monitors to view short videos of masquerades. Here, as elsewhere in the gallery, didactic labels carry an image of the object or its type being used in situ to foster appreciation for its function as well as its form. Masks are installed opposite the theme with which they are associated. For example, Kuba (fi g. 18) and Bamum royal masks are opposite “The Art of Governance,” while Dogon masks for the dama masquerade are oriented toward the “Afterlife” section of “Art in the Cycle of Life,” and entertainment masks are opposite “Decorative Arts and Design.” Notable masks in the installation include a Guro gye helmet mask from Côte d’Ivoire; a Yoruba sequined Egungun masquerade costume from the Republic of Benin; and a Baga d’mba from Guinea (fi g. 20). The latter is appropriately attired in a fl oor-length raffi a skirt and a blue cotton shawl, and it stands head and shoulders above the other masks, just as she would in an actual masquerade (fi g. 19). The new gallery design was planned for easy changeouts of objects. Visitors to the DMA can expect to view new objects, whether new acquisitions or selected works from the approximately 2,000 pieces in the permanent collection, at least twice a year. Arts of Africa New permanent installation Dallas Museum of Art www.dma.org * See Roslyn Adele Walker, The Arts of Africa at the Dallas Museum of Art. Dallas: Dallas Museum of Art, distributed by Yale University Press, New Haven and London, 2009.


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