TOM JOYCE
139
T. J.: As lead curator, I visited 147 public and
private collections in the United States and
abroad over the last seven years and viewed
thousands of objects. From these I filtered 225
of the highest artistic achievements African
blacksmiths have made from the early Iron Age
to the present. To tell the visually rich and complex
stories of how ironworking has shaped
African cultures in practical, intellectual, and
aesthetic ways, Striking Iron is organized
around eight thematic sections that highlight
a wide range of objects. These outstanding
works will be complemented by video footage,
soundscapes, historical and ethnographic field
photographs, didactic texts, and a customized
gallery tour. The exhibition is conceived to
offer opportunities for visitors to pause at “focus”
objects, chosen to highlight their artistry
or historical importance.
It has been an honor and a pleasure to bring
this project to fruition with co-curators Marla
Berns (director of the Fowler Museum),
Henry Drewal (professor of art history and
Afro-American Studies at the University of
Wisconsin), Allen Roberts (professor of world
arts and cultures at UCLA), and Bill Dewey
(professor of African, African Diaspora, and
Oceanic art at Pennsylvania State University).
It’s also a privilege to collaborate with the exceptional
staff at the Fowler along with a stellar
team of consultants and contributing scholars
whose insightful research has fortified this survey
exhibition and the accompanying book.
We’re looking forward to shedding new light
on this extraordinary art form while celebrating
the vision of African blacksmiths who have so
masterfully created significant objects for more
than 2,500 years.
Striking Iron: The Art of African Blacksmiths
June 3–December 8, 2018
Fowler Museum at UCLA
Los Angeles
fowler.ucla.edu
February 13–October 20, 2019
National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution
Washington, DC
africa.si.edu
November 2019–March 2020
Musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac
Paris
quaibranly.fr
FIG. 17 (above):
Torques.
Mumuye/Chamba (?),
Nigeria/Cameroon.
Forged iron. Width of widest: 42 cm.
Photo courtesy of Tom Joyce Studio
Archive, © 2018.
FIG. 18 (below left):
Title holder’s ritual staff,
ofo n’dichie.
Igbo, Nigeria.
Wood, forged iron. H: 39 cm.
Photo courtesy of Tom Joyce Studio
Archive, © 2018.
FIG. 19 (below):
Hammer/anvil.
Mambila/Mfumte,
Cameroon.
Forged iron. H: 41 cm.
Photo courtesy of Tom Joyce Studio
Archive, © 2018.
/fowler.ucla.edu
/africa.si.edu
/quaibranly.fr
