African Art

[Burr]

Hello everyone,

 

Any Africanists out there? I want to start a discussion about current opportunities in the subfield of Sub-Saharan African Art. I'm particularly interested in traditional rather than contemporary art forms, so I'm approaching the topic from that perspective, but if someone does have info on contemporary, diaspora, or African-American arts, please feel free to contribute. In this discussion, I'm interested in ascertaining the following:

1. Prominent scholars in the field, including potential Ph.D. advisors.
2. Museums with significant African Art collections, ideally with internship opportunities.
3. Internships and fellowships that (can) involve African Art.

This list might be expanded in the future, depending on what info is shared by other members.

 

I've started a list below, organized in no particular order, which will be updated sporadically as information and time become available. I'm currently prioritizing scholars and institutions in the USA, but this is only temporary.

 

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Scholars

 

See the Dissertations section of the CAA Reviews for an overall solid starting point.

 

Patrick McNaughton, Indiana (faculty)

Sidney Kasfir, Emory (faculty)

Victoria L. Rovine, UNC at Chapel Hill (faculty)

Steven Nelson, UCLA (faculty)

Suzanne Preston Blier, Harvard (faculty)

Chika Okeke-Agulu, Princeton (faculty)

Zoë Strother, Columbia (faculty)

Susan Vogel, Columbia (personal)

William Dewey, Penn State (faculty)

 

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Museums & Institutions

 

Field Museum; Chicago, IL (link)

National Museum of African Art; Washington, DC (link)

National Museum of Natural History; Washington, DC (anthropology)

Indiana University Art Museum; Bloomington, IN (Wielgus Gallery)

 

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Internships & Fellowships

 

To do...

 

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Alright, this is a very rudimentary start, but it's all I have time for at the moment. Share your thoughts, and keep an eye on the list in the next few weeks!

Edited March 1, 2015 by Burr

[highpriestess]

Hi, just a note - I'm fairly sure that Kasfir is now retired.  This is a great idea though; African art definitely needs to be included more in the discussion.

[brown_eyed_girl]

Everyone I know at UCLA loves Steven Nelson, and I've heard that he is a very supportive adviser and engaging lecturer. UCLA also has the Fowler Museum on campus, which is a global arts and culture museum with an emphasis on Africa. 

[Tsavo]

Christopher Roy can be added to the list (although he's probably nearing retirement). He's at the University of Iowa. Iowa also hosts the Stanley Collection.

[theartman1193]

I would add Henry Drewal at UW-Madison is pretty eminent, UT-Austin has a couple of folks as well.

[rbakshi]

There's Elizabeth Harney on the graduate faculty at the University of Toronto, though, her home department is based at UTSC (for undergraduate teaching only). Research areas include modern and contemporary African art, African diasporas, and postcolonial theory. 

Edited July 14, 2015 by rbakshi