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Spirits of the Forest, People of the Herd: African Art in Two Worlds

On view March 18 – June 8, 2014

Curated by Dr. Chris Steiner of Connecticut College, Spirits of the Forest, People of the Herd: African Art in Two Worlds(March 18 – June 8, 2014), is an exhibition of art and artifacts from two very different regions on the African continent: the forests of coastal West Africa and the mountainous plains of Uganda. In one case, art serves to manifest the presence of spirits that guide and control religious and social life; in the other case, art is tightly integrated into the everyday needs of pastoralists whose very existence revolves around the welfare and fertility of the herd.

The “People of the Herd” section features the domestic, decorative and ceremonial objects of the pastoral Bahima of western Uganda.  This traditional world of herding now no longer exists, the victim both of civil war and the pressures of globalization.   The objects exhibited, wooden milk pots, gourd storage vessels, baskets, beaded containers, and jewelry, all explore the role of “beauty” in the material culture of a nomadic African people, and demonstrate how functional form and aesthetic preferences are seamlessly bound together in their visual world.

In “Spirits of the Forest” objects from several New England collections are on loan to showcase the arts of Liberia and Sierra Leone. Featured in this section of the exhibition are masks and ritual objects from the Gio/Dan and Mende ethnic groups that communicate the relationship between the world of the living and the spirits of the forest. Here the exhibition examines how material objects express religious beliefs, and how objects help regulate social relationships and political hierarchy in small-scale African village societies.

Out of Africa Mask
Wooden mask, Dan/Gio people, Liberia. 19th/20th century. Collected by Connecticut artist/muralist Alfred J. Tulk in Ganta, Liberia, 1933. Private Collection.

 

Filed Under: Past Exhibitions Tagged With: african art, exhibitions

Sub Urbanisms

SUB URBANISMS: Casino Company-town, China-town

On view February 8th – May 12, 2014

SUB URBANISMS is an exhibition exploring the controversial conversion of single family homes into multifamily communities by immigrant Chinese casino workers in southeastern Connecticut. By transplanting cultural values to their new country, these recent emigrants unconsciously challenge the norms underlying the most ubiquitous American housing type: the suburban single-family detached home. The exhibition invites visitors to reflect on the norms and cultural values that determine how we live, and to consider how cultural expectations for building design might further change in response to ecological, financial and societal pressures. A daylong forum event will be held on March 29th.

Suburbanisms_Icon_2RGB

Curated by designer Stephen Fan with Shane Keaney.

Filed Under: Past Exhibitions Tagged With: casinos, exhibitions

The Unicorn Stampede

Opening Friday, November 29, 2013
On view through January 12, 2014

Double Unicorn, Camomille Hixon, 2103. Photo credit: Joe Standart 2013.
Double Unicorn, Camomile Hixon, 2013. Photo credit: Joe Standart 2013.

The Unicorn Stampede installation by renowned glitter artist Camomile Hixon in Lyman Allyn’s Glassenberg Gallery will involve 24 life-sized, two-dimensional glitter unicorns. This room of glittered unicorns will lend an unforgettable air of celebratory magic this Holiday season to New London and beyond.

Unicorns have enchanted people across vastly different cultures throughout history and have come to symbolize positivity in the world. Unicorns have a universal appeal that cuts through peoples’ social armor and unlocks their feelings. This family friendly installation and accompanying programming is designed to attract a wide audience and communicate messages of hope, freedom, peace, purity, and magic.

Each Sunday in December, beginning December 1st, join us for Tea with the Unicorns.  Click here for more information and to RSVP.

Filed Under: Exhibitions, Past Exhibitions Tagged With: camomille hixon, exhibitions, missing unicorn, unicorn

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