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VISIONS FROM THE FORESTS 99 FIG. 10 (left): Mask with shoulder cloth. Dan or Mano, Liberia. First half of the 20th century. Wood, animal fur, feathers (of the great blue turaco, Corythaeola cristata), cotton, beads. H: 22.9 cm (mask). Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Gift of William Siegmann, inv. 2011.70.1. Photo: Minneapolis Institute of Arts. FIG. 11 (below): Zon (c. 1900–1985), game board, ma kpon. Dan, Liberia (Nuopie). Second half of the 20th century. Wood. L: 69.9 cm. The Estate of William Siegmann, Brooklyn. Photo: Minneapolis Institute of Arts. FIG. 12 (below): Zon (c. 1900–1985), miniature mask, ma go. Dan, Liberia (Nuopie). Second half of the 20th century. Wood. H: 8.4 cm. Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Gift of William Siegmann, inv. 2011.70.14. Photo: Minneapolis Institute of Arts. 1400s. Most of these soapstone heads and human figures are found accidentally by farmers, well diggers, and diamond miners. None have been discovered in archeological excavations, so little is known about when and why they were made or even who made them. Two broad style groups can be distinguished: The “coastal styles” are found in Sierra Leone, less than a hundred miles from the Atlantic Ocean in territories currently inhabited by the Mende and Southern Bullom. These groups are unaware of the cultural origin of the carvings, but they have been attributed to the aforementioned Sapi peoples (fig. 13). The “inland styles” appear further north in the border region of Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Liberia. This is primarily home to the Kissi, whose forefathers are thought to be their makers (fig. 14). These stone figures are considered by their more recent finders to be endowed with special spiritual powers and they are repurposed in various ritual contexts. Preserving the Past, Creating the Future Individuals and organizations in West Africa and beyond have worked collaboratively to preserve the history and material culture of Sierra Leone and Liberia for the benefit of coming generations. Collectively, these efforts have advanced the pursuit of scholarship on the arts of the region. Particularly notable among those who have contributed to this process was the late William (Bill) Siegmann (1943–2011), who was a master of understanding how the history and art of the region fit together. His abiding commitment to Africa—especially West Africa— found expression professionally in a long and storied museum career in both Liberia and the United States and personally in his enduring friendships with Liberians, including his adoptive Liberian family. Between 1965 and 1987, Siegmann worked closely with two Liberian museums: the Africana Museum at Cuttington University College in Suakoko and the National Museum of Liberia in Monrovia (figs. 1 and 20). Sadly, most of the artworks of these museums, to which Siegmann contributed significantly, were looted or destroyed during the Liberian civil wars. As a recurrent resident of Liberia over several decades, Siegmann was in a unique position to witness the immediate impact of unfolding events and to situate them within the broader context of history, culture, and tradition. The personal art collection that he formed—which serves as the core of the present exhibition—reflects this vantage point. With his encyclopedic knowledge of the art of Liberia and Sierra Leone, Siegmann identified and acquired fifteenth-century stone carvings and exemplary wooden masks from the late nineteenth century. But he also gravitated toward overlooked art as well as toward works that reflect social change and artistic development. These objects expand our understanding of the art of the region and, in some cases, demonstrate the impact of local politics, artistic personalities, and other factors relating to the making of art. In this regard, Visions from the Forests not only introduces the major aesthetic traditions of the area, but also sheds unique light on the historical settings in which the objects were created. In 1986 Siegmann acquired a Sande Association mask together with a Mende wooden female figure (figs. 4 and 15). He strongly believed the same person had made both of them. Based on art historian Loretta Reinhardt’s fieldwork in Sierra Leone in 1970 and on his own research years later, art historian Frederick Lamp identified them in his essay in the Visions from the Forests catalog as the work of Amara, better known as Pa Jobo, a prolific Mende wood sculptor who carved from the 1920s until


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