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Art and Archaeology of Africa
A-Afri Afro Art B C D E F-G H I K L M N O P R S T U W
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Adire African Textiles (Dr. Duncan Clarke, London, UK)
A commercial site that contains useful information on the history and manufacturing techniques of adire cloth and other textiles of western Nigeria; plus links.
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Africa Forum (H-Africa, H-Net Humanities and Social Sciences OnLine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan.)
- Africa Reparations Movement (UK): Campaign for Return of the Benin Bronzes (via ARC Net Ltd., UK)
Note: this site has not been updated since 2002.
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"Africa's Iron and Copper Currencies: Suggested Reading" (Compiled by Columbia University Libraries.)
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African Archaeology -- WWW Virtual Library (Bernard-Olivier Clist, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgique)
An extensive listing of links for the archaeology (and paleo-anthropology) of Africa on the Internet---news, field data reports, scholars' contact information, institutions, etc.
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African Art: Aesthetics and Meaning, Bayly Art Museum, University of Virginia, Charlottesville.
Artwork of various West African peoples, with some Makonde objects from East Africa.
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African Art & the Virtual Museum: an undergraduate course (Dr. Benjamin Ray et al., University of Virginia)
The site includes links to a course description, student Web art exhibitions, a course syllabus, bibliographies, cultural maps, and e-mail contacts. The images are used with copyright permission and are taken from collections at the Bayly Museum of the University of Virginia, the Fowler Museum of Cultural History, the Hampton University Museum, and The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.
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African Art, On and Off the Walls: an undergraduate course project (Prof. Cynthia Pakert Atherton and her students, Art Department, Middlebury College, Vermont)
"This Web project is the product of a seminar entitled "AR325: African Art, On and Off the Walls" held at Middlebury College in the 1996 Spring semester. Professor Atherton worked with twelve students to create this on-line catalogue to accompany selections from "Inspired by Dreams: African Art from the Charles Derby Collection," a traveling exhibition of African art hosted by the Middlebury College Museum of Art from March 21 to June 2, 1996." Note: All artifacts featured in this collection are from West and West-Equatorial Africa. The site also includes a useful bibliography and a short links page.
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African Arts/Handicraft and Environmental Management Institute (AFHEMI), Yaoundé, Cameroon (Prof. Carol Ventura, Tennessee Technological University, Cookeville, Tennessee)
This website offers general information about the center and links to information about a variety of Cameroonian visual and handicraft artists who work with metal, bark, beads, pottery, wood, and cloth. Some pages include links to non-African handicraft artists.
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AfricanColours.Net (The Hague, The Netherlands; Nairobi, Kenya; Harare, Zimbabwe; via Rotterdam, The Netherlands)
A virtual showcase and promotional portal for African artists from all over the continent, with a very useful redbook of links to websites of art book publishers, reviews, film, music, fashion, photography, online galleries, etc.
- African Diaspora Archaeology Network (Chris Fennell, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign)
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African Heritage Architecture (Paul Taylor, Owings Mills, Maryland)
Photos of architectural structures mostly in Senegal and Ghana, and a few in the United States.
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African Loxo -- Art Contemporain Africain (Art Entraide France, Benodet, France; Diappo, Dakar, Sénégal)
Une présentation de plus de 130 artistes africains, classement pars pays, ce site << est une plateforme d'échanges économiques et culturels entre l'Afrique et le reste du monde...et sert de lien entre les créateurs africains et les marchés de l'art >>.
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African Posters from the Melville J. Herskovits Library, Northwestern University (Evanston, Illinois)
"The Melville J. Herskovits Library of African Studies at Northwestern University maintains a comprehensive collection of posters published in Africa and elsewhere. The posters provide a unique resource to carry on research in a broad range of disciplines by consulting the visual image created by governments (independent and colonial) and international agencies, as well as political, labor, social, religious, educational and cultural organizations. In the first phase of this web site, 77 posters, selected as a representative sampling of the collection, are available for searching and viewing."
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African Sculptural Art (Dr. Herbert E. Roese, via One.Tel, UK)
A collection of illustrated short essays on 'indigenous sculptural arts of South Africa', 'modern' sculpture of Zimbabwe, and on sculpture from west/west-central Africa (Ghana, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo) -- written between the years 1995 and 2000.
- African Sculpture Images (University of Pennsylvania)
- Africultures: Arts plastiques -- Actualités (Olivier Barlet, Editions Harmattan, France)
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AFROMET: Association for the Return of the Maqdala Ethiopian Treasures (2000) (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia)
Essays (by historian Richard Pankhurst), opinion pieces, and a petition -- no images -- for the return of the art treasures (royal crowns, manuscripts, etc.) stolen from Maqdala by the British Napier expedition in 1868.
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Akan Cultural Symbols Project (George F. Kojo and Robert E. Rowe, Marshall University, West Virginia)
The site offers examples and explanations of Akan architecture, textiles, metalwork, wood carving, cosmology, and political traditions. "This project is designed as an educational resource to show the relationships between Akan visual arts and Akan verbal genres. It is also to show some aspects of the rich cultural heritage of the Akan of Ghana ... The Project, therefore, comprises this web site - Akan Cultural Symbols Project Online; a series of books and catalogues; photo exhibitions, lectures and workshops; and multi-media CD-ROMs."
- Aksum: an African civilisation of late antiquity. By Stuart Munro-Hay. (1991) -- Edinburgh, UK: Edinburgh University Press, 1991. Electronic plain text version posted by Alan Light.
- Ancient Egypt on the Internet (Columbia University Libraries)
- Ancient Nubia Exhibit (1987) (University of Chicago)
- Ancient Nubia Exhibit (1992) (University of Chicago)
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ANKH: Un site sur les Civilisations africaines et l'Egyptologie (Paris, France)
- Anthropology Back Door to the Web: L'Afrique centrale (Dr. Bernard Clist, Grasse, France)
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Bilan et perspectives de cinquante ans d'Archéologie française ...en Afrique occidentale et au Maghreb (France Diplomatie; France, Ministère des Affaires étrangères, Paris)
Cette exposition électronique offre les essentiels du colloque << Du Nord au Sud du Sahara >>, organisé par le ministère des Affaires étrangères les 13 et 14 mai 2004 à Paris. Le site comprend un recueil des résumés des études (avec cartes et photos) sur les travaux menés dans les différentes missions de la région.
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"Arms into Art = Armas para Arte (Núcleo de Arte em Maputo, Moçambique e AfricaServer em Amsterdam, The Netherlands)
A virtual exhibition of works of art made from AK 47 machine guns, landmines, and hand weapons. In English, Portuguese, Dutch, or Danish.
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Ars Ante Africa : L'Exposition -- Ecritures (Paris, France; via MultiMania)
Un exposition électronique des arts plastiques africains. "Ars Ante Africa regroupe une cinquantaine de membres et federe artistes amateurs d'art et professionels de l'art de toutes origines et de toutes disciplines autour de son project.
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Art & Life in Africa Project (Obermann Center for Advanced Studies, University of Iowa)
"[The project] is a CD-ROM based program on African art, based on The Stanley Collection at The University of Iowa Museum of Art and supplemented by additional images from important collections across the country organized on the theme of Art and Life in Africa. Objects will be placed in the context for which they were created in the lives of African peoples. This project is innovative in two ways: (1) objects in a museum context are recontextualized making use of field photographs, films, maps, narration, and text, and (2) a version of the program will be accesible through the World Wide Web on the Internet, making a valuable cultural resource accessible at institutions which do not otherwise have access to such material locally."
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The Art of the African Mask, February-August 1994 Exhibition Catalog, Bayly Art Museum, University of Virginia, Charlottesville.
Images and discussion on masks from West and Central Africa.
- Artthrob: Contemporary Art in South Africa (Cape Town ; Johannesburg ; Durban, South Africa)
A web-zine offering articles and reviews on art trends in South Africa, links to news on current and recent exhibitions; plus related websites.
"ArtThrob is South Africa's leading contemporary visual arts publication, reporting on the national arts scene and the involvement of South African artists in the international art world."
- Asmara -- "City of Dreams" -- A Film by Edward Scott and Naigzy Gebremedhin (Eyelevel Productions, Washington, DC)
"In City of Dreams, Architect Naigzy Gebremedhin takes the audience on a historical and architectural tour of his beloved city Asmara, Eritrea, which is regarded as the most important center of rationalist architecture in Africa."
- Association Française d'Action Artistique: 6èmes Rencontres Africaines de la Photographie, du 10 novembre au 10 décembre 2005, Bamako, Mali. En collaboration avec le Ministère de la Culture du Mali. (AFAA, Paris, France)
"Pendant un mois, la photographie africaine, au travers de nombreuses expositions, ateliers, séminaires, projections et autres événements festifs investira la capitale malienne et certains de ses lieux comme le Musée national du Mali, le Palais de la Culture, le Musée du District, le Centre culturel français..."
-- Voir aussi: Maison Africaine de la Photographie, Bamako, Mali ci-dessous
-- Voir aussi: Les 5èmes Rencontres de la Photographie Africaine -- "Rites sacrés, rites profanes", Bamako, Mali, du 20 octobre au 20 novembre 2003.
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BANI: Base d'Anthropologie physique du Niger, 1994 (IRD--L'Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Paris)
"BANI a été conçue pour présenter la collection de squelettes et de restes osseux de l'I.R.S.H., Institut de Recherche en Sciences Humaines de l'Université de Niamey. Elle a été développée dans le cadre du projet 'Conservatoire Archéologique' financé par le Fond d'Aide et de Coopération français et mis en oeuvre par l'ORSTOM et l'I.R.S.H. Mais BANI n'est pas seulement un inventaire anthropologique, c'est aussi une description de la plupart des sépultures préislamiques fouillées officiellement entre 1978 et 1992 dans le nord du Niger. Elle concerne au total 259 sépultures dont 187 sous monuments funéraires."
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The British Museum--World Cultures: Africa (London, UK)
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The Art of Burkina Faso (2002) (Prof. Christopher D. Roy, University of Iowa, Iowa City)
A survey of the visual arts in Burkina Faso, with lots of photographs, maps, and descriptive texts.
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Michael C. Carlos Museum Collections (Emory University):
- Home Page
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Ancient Egyptian Collection
"The Carlos Museum's Egyptian collection includes objects from the Predynastic period down to the Roman occupation. First and foremost, it illustrates the funerary beliefs and practices of the ancient Egyptians: the need for the preservation of the body and for burial with the proper funerary equipment. While this might seem to suggest that the Egyptians were obsessed with death, it must be remembered that such an impression is partly due to archaeological factors. The Egyptians buried their dead in the desert, while they lived their lives in cities and villages near the river. It is easier to excavate in dry sand than in areas where work is hampered by a high water table and by present-day occupation. Nevertheless, objects of everyday life are represented in the Carlos Museum's collection, thanks to the Egyptians' habit of placing such items in their tombs for use in the afterlife."
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Sub-Saharan Africa Collection
"..the approximately 900 works acquired by the Carlos Museum from William S. Arnett in 1994 offer valuable insight into African artistic expressions in the variety of their forms, functions, and cultures of origin. The collection also reflects Mr. Arnett's personal collecting interests over the past 25 years. A majority of the objects come from West Africa, with a focus on the numerous cultures of Nigeria, Republic of Benin, and the Cameroon Grassfields. The rest are from the Equatorial Central region of the continent, located mainly in the modern state of Zaire [Dem. Rep. of Congo]. Most of the works date from the 19th and early 20th centuries."
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"Céramique en pays serrer et tumulus sénégambiens". Par Stéphane Pradines. Internet Archaeology. (Online). (Issue 3, Autumn 1997) -- York, UK: Department of Archaeology, University of York, 1996-
Remarque: Il faut s'incrire avant de lire cet article.
- J'aime Chéri Samba: Exposition, du 24 janvier au 2 mai 2004 (La Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain, Paris, France)
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Contemporary African Artist Database Project (Cornell University, Ithaca, New York)
A brief announcement or launch statement of the project and contact information.
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Cross|ing: Time Space Movement, University of South Florida Contemporary Art Museum (Tampa, Florida)
Brief biographies and a few examples from the 1997 exhibition.
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"The Cultured Body: African Fashion and Body Arts" at the University of Iowa Museum of Art, October 17-20, 2002 2002 Obermann Humanities Symposium (Iowa City, Iowa)
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Cutting to the Essence, Shaping for the Fire (Indiana University; Lakeview Museum of Arts & Sciences, Peoria, Illinois)
Yoruba and Akan art exhibit.
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Ousmane Ndiaye Dago -- Photographe (Dakar, Sénégal; via Paris)
Un site artistique où figure l'artiste sénégalais et son ouevre -- y compris quelques fichiers vidéos. Il y a aussi des actualités artistiques sélectionées.
- DAK'ART 2008: La Biennale de l'Art Africain Contemporain, du 9 mai au 9 juin 2008, Dakar, Sénégal
L'exposition internationale d'Art Africain Contemporain de la Biennale de Dakar présentera le travaux de beaucoup d'artistes venus de plus que 20 pays d'Afrique et une Exposition Diaspora (les oeuvres de 7 artistes afro-américains)...comprend un large éventail de stratégies d'expression allant de la peinture à l'installation, en passant par la performance, la sculpture, l'art vidéo et les média interactifs.
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de arte. (Online): journal of the Department of Art History and Fine Arts. -- Pretoria : Unisa Press, published for the Department of Art History and Fine Arts, University of South Africa, 1994-
"de arte" is part of a library of "Unisa Press Online Academic Journals." Selected full articles and tables of contents only.
- Detroit Institute of Art: African Art -- Permanent Collection (Detroit, Michigan) Old site
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Durban Art Gallery (Durban, South Africa)
"The Durban Art Gallery collections include everything from current and historical art and artefacts of KwaZulu-Natal to English masterpieces, from anonymous carvings, clay pots and beadwork to the works of celebrated South African artists like Andrew Verster and Penny Siopis. The Gallery celebrated its centenary in 1992."
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L'Ecole du Patrimoine Africain (Porto-Novo, République du Bénin)
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Eloquent Elegance -- Beadwork In the Zulu Cultural Tradition (Stan and Hilgard Schoeman; via Marques Systems, Randburg, South Africa)
Hilgard Schoeman, an "expert" in South Africa, explains and displays examples of Zulu beadwork.
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Espace Faguèye -- Les Associations Olivier Arts Africains (Dakar, Sénégal; Seysses, France)
<< Ce site est administré par Espace Faguèye, Association basée sur le territoire sénégalais. Olivier Arts Africains basée à Toulouse en France facilite l'accès à la création africaine moderne et contemporaine : plus de 400 oeuvres originales disponibles (peinture, sculpture, photos, Haute couture.)>>
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An Eternity of Forest: Paintings by Mbuti Women (University of California--Berkeley Art Museum & Pacific Film Archive)
"'All lives, all dances and all is loud.' Energy, motion and sound: the exuberance and vitality of the forest aesthetic is defined alike by a Gabon Pygmy song, and by the paintings of the Mbuti women of the Ituri Forest of northeastern Zaire. Painted barkcloths (pongo, murumba) are used as ritual dress for the rites of passage and spontaneous celebrations that mark the rhythms of Mbuti life--wedding and funeral ceremonies, and the festivities associated with the sacred molimo festival and nkumbi and elima puberty initiations. They are worn in the forest, and during dances performed for ritual purposes or for pure enjoyment."
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Ethiopia: Traditions of Creativity (Prof. Ray A. Silverman et al., Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan)
The site offers profiles on contemporary Ethiopian artists and current news about "the expressive cultures of Ethiopia", plus information and some images from a 1994 art exhibition held at Michigan State University.
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G.I. Jones' Photographic Archive of Southeastern Nigerian Art & Culture (Prof. John C. McCall, in cooperation with Ursula Jones, Dept. of Anthropology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois)
"This is an archive of digitized photographs depicting the arts and cultures of southeastern Nigeria. The collection includes examples from Ibibio, Igbo, Ijo and Ogoni speaking peoples. All of the photographs were taken in the 1930s by the late G.I. Jones, Department of Social Anthropology, University of Cambridge. The majority of the images are from the Igbo speaking regions where Jones conducted most of his research."
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Great Zimbabwe on the Internet
- Cultures.Com: Great Zimbabwe (4 photographs) Africa connection. (Fleetgazelle, San Francisco, California)
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"Great Zimbabwe" "The Literature & Culture of Zimbabwe: The Visual Arts. (Prof. George P. Landow et al., Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island; via University of Singapore)
A brief summary of the archaeology and architecture of GZ, with several photographs ; part of a larger website on the Visual Arts of Zimbabwe.
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"Mystery of Great Zimbabwe" by Peter Tyson and David Randall-MacIver Excerpts from: "Lost Tribes of Israel" NOVA Online. (PBS Online, PBS/WGBH Boston, Massachusetts)
Brief summaries about the European encounter with GZ, with a few illustrations.
- Photographs from "Great Zimbabwe National Park, Zimbabwe. (October 24, 1998)" (Tom Loos, via Department of Computer Science, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana)
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"Riddle of Great Zimbabwe" by Roderick J. McIntosh (1998) Abstract from: Archaeology. (Online) ; vol. 51, no. 4 (July/Aug 1998) (Archaeological Institute of America, Boston, Massachusetts)
A very brief sketch, with only two illustrations.
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H-AfrArts Web Page (H-Net--Humanities & Social Sciences OnLine, Michigan State University, East Lansing; Arts Council of the African Studies Association of the United States)
H-AfrArts is a discussion list and a WWW site which focus on the expressive arts of Africa and the African diaspora.
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"Hier et aujourd'hui des poteries et des femmes" (Jean Gabriel Elia, Mission Archéologique et Ethnoarchéologique Suisse en Afrique de l'Ouest, Geneva, Switzerland)
- Ce site présente le synopsis d'une exposition sur les traditions céramiques actuelles du Delta Intérieur du Niger (Mali). A l'origine, l'exposition ayant été présentée au Muséum d'histoire naturelle de Genève, du 24 juin 1996 au 20 octobre.
- Une petite bibliographie de la MAESAO (1998)
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Homage to Lucas Sithole: 1931-1994 (The Haenggi Foundation, Inc., Johannesburg, South Africa and Basel, Switzerland)
This promotional website includes some sample images of the sculptures of Lucas Sithole, information about works for sale, as well as biographical notes. 'Lucas Sithole was the first black artist in South Africa to have a retrospective show in a public museum and a university gallery.'
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Human origins and evolution in Africa (Prof. Jeanne Sept, Department of Anthropology, Indiana University, Bloomington)
This site offers access to: some basic information on human evolution in Africa; syllabi and other resources for courses being taught at Indiana University by the professor; information about a new interactive CD-ROM product on human origins and the archaeology of Olduvai Gorge, in Tanzania; and several useful pages of links.
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Ijele: Art eJournal. (Online) -- Binghamton, New York: Africa Resource Center, Inc., 2000- -- ISSN 1525-447X
Current and back issues since March 2000. "Ijele: Art eJournal of the African World is a journal of contemporary art and architecture, focusing exclusively on the visual creative expressions of artists in Africa and other regions of the world."
- "Images of African Peoples: Photography, History, and Culture in Africa and the African Diaspora" Conference, March 31--April 2, 2006, Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, Illinois
The website includes general information, abstracts from participants, and program.
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Images of Colonial Africa (circa 1900-1914) by Laura Neva Collins of the Africa Inland Mission (Billy Graham Center Archives, Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois)
"The images displayed here are one woman's view, mostly of Kenya, at the beginning of the twentieth century, probably before 1914. They depict the country's society, customs, economics, and geography, as well as its growing Christian church, the missionary community assisting in that endeavor, and Collins herself. Also included are some photographs from Cameroon, the Belgian Congo and Uganda."
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Inagina, l'ultime maison du fer: un film sur les forgerons dogon (Département d'Anthropologie et d'Ecologie, Université de Genève, Suisse)
Ce site est une publicité pour le film, mais on y trouve les commentaires intéressants des réalisateurs, les images du film, et un bon de commande. Le film est disponible en anglais. On peut lire ce site en anglais.
- International Center of Photography: "Snap Judgements: New Positions in Contemporary African Photography", March 10-May 28, 2006, New York City
The website features selected images, general information about the museum, and artist information. "Snap Judgments was curated by Okwui Enwezor, who also authored the accompanying catalogue. Okwui Enwezor is Dean of Academic Affairs at San Francisco Art Institute."
- International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property: Conservation of Immovable Cultural Heritage in Sub-Saharan Africa -- Africa 2009
(Rome, Italy) See: French version
"In 1998, AFRICA 2009 was introduced at a regional meeting of African cultural heritage professionals held in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. This programme is a joint effort of Africa cultural heritage organizations, ICCROM, the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, and CRATerre-EAG. It is rooted in the notion that the problems facing conservation in Africa must be addressed not only through technical solutions, but also through better taking into account the relationship between the immovable heritage and its relevant communities and overall environment."
-- See especially: Activities & projects ; Documentation ; and, Events calendar.
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VI International Conference on the History of Ethiopian Art, 5-8 November 2002, Institute of Ethiopian Studies, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (via the Institute of Ethiopian Studies, Addis Ababa University)
This web page offers a basic "call for papers" and contact information.
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Kanga Writings -- Pictures -- History (Hassan Ali, Ottawa, Canada)
A chart of Swahili sayings that often appear on the cotton cloth commonly worn by women in East Africa, especially in Tanzania or coastal Kenya. The chart also includes literal English translation and the deeper meanings.
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"Kente cloth: a selected bibliography (February 1994)" by Ruth A. Hodges, Reference Librarian, Howard University (Moorland Spingarn Research Center, Howard University, Washington, DC)
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Kiboko Projects & Galleries (Mark Scheflen et al., Visual Arts Program, St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery, New York)
Since 1995, Mark Scheflen has been director of a program designed to nurture child artists in New York, Kenya, and South Africa. This web site features information about the various programs and several galleries of the children's art ("for sale").
- Krannert Art Museum, Permanent Collections : Africa--Masks (Senufo, Dan, Yoruba) & Headdress (Bamana) from West Africa; plus Ancient Egyptian (Thebes)--19th dynasty. (University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign)
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Leptis Magna (Tripolitania) on the Web
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Leptis Magna.Com (USA)
"Lepcis Magna or Leptis Magna, an ancient city along the Mediterranean Sea, located near the modern-day city of Al Khums in Libya. The city began as a trading port for the ancient people of Phoenicia around 1000 BC and then became part of the Roman province of Africa Proconsularis. Lepcis was the most easterly of the three cities that gave the North African region of Tripolitania its name."
- Lepcis Magna -- The Roman Empire in Africa (UK)
- Maison Africaine de la Photographie (Bamako, Mali)
- Mali -- Art and Architecture
- Djenné Patrimoine (via France)
Un site bien illusté sur la grande héritage culturelle de la ville, y compris une galerie photographique sur le crépisage de la grande mosquée de Djenné, un recueil de cartes sur la localisation des tombeaux des Saints, et Djenné patrimoine informations. (Online). Bulletin. -- [France]: Association pour la promotion du patrimoine culturel de Djenné (Mali), 1996-.
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Dogon Niger Lobi Photographic Albums (Huib Blom, Switzerland)
An extensive collection of travel photographs of people, landscapes, and cultural sites among the Dogon and the Lobi of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Ghana; plus images from along the Niger River in Mali. Note: individual photos are labelled, but there are no explanatory captions.
-- See especially: "Malian Architecture" photo album
- Mali Interactive Project (Rice University, Texas)
This site uses the archæogical and historical sites of Jenne-Jeno in on the Upper Niger River in Mali, West Africa, as a way of teaching archæology to middle and high school students. There are lots of interesting photographs, maps, diagrams, and links to other archaeology sites on the Net.
- "Metal in Africa" Exhibition, Cambridge University, 26th Sept 1996 - 21st Mar 1998.
Jointly sponsored by the African Studies Centre and the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Cambridge University. (Cambridge, UK)
A brief one-page announcement, with links to a few sample images of art from Benin Kingdom (Nigeria), Cameroon, and Gabon.
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The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York -- African Art
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Timeline of Art History: African Art -- and -- Egyptian Art
These web pages offer very brief historical summaries, with a few images and maps. Topics include art of: Aksum, Benin, Fulani/Fulbe, Great Zimbabwe, Ife, Igbo-Ukwu, Nok, and the Mali and Songhai empires, etc.; selected topics and images on the ancient Nile valley civilizations.
- Ancient Egyptian Art -- Special Exhibitions and Web Resources
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Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas (Permanent Collection)
This web site features thumbnail images of selected objects in the permanent collection and a general search tool.
- Echoing images: couples in African sculpture, February 10--September 5, 2004
- Genesis: Ideas of Origin in African Sculpture, November 2002--July 2003
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Art and Oracle: African Art and Rituals of Divination (April-July 2000) Explore and Learn.
The "scholarly resource" is still accessible, including essays, glossary, images, and bibliography.
- Masterhand: Individuality and Creativity among Yoruba Sculptors (1997-2000) Explore & Learn.
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Modern African art: a basic reading list. Compiled by Janet L. Stanley, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution Libraries, Washington, DC.
An online, full length, annotated bibliography. Last update: February 2000.
- Musée du Quai Branly--Afrique (Paris, France)
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Musée Dapper sur l'Afrique (Paris, France)
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Musée d'ethnographie, Neuchâtel (MEN) (Neuchâtel, Switzerland)
- "Communique" sur Le Musée National des Arts d'Afrique et d'Océanie, Paris, France (2003) (en format PDF)
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Musée royal de l'Afrique central = Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren, Belgique
- Musée virtuel de la Civilisation: Exposition Virtuelle d'Art Kongo--Le pays Kongo (Ne-Kongo Networking Assistance, USA and France?)
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The Museum for African Art, New York (Long Island City, Queens, New York)
- General information on programs, ordering publications, and exhibitions.
- Exhibitions: current, travelling, and past; plus coming attractions
- Masks on Line: exhibition information, activities for kids, and lessons for teachers.
- United States. National Archives and Records Administration: Contemporary African Art from the Harmon Foundation (College Park, Maryland)
This site includes a list of works, an index of artists, and black & white photographs of the works. "The Harmon Foundation, a nonprofit, private foundation active from 1922 to 1967, helped foster an awareness of African art...When the foundation ended its activities in 1967, it donated to the National Archives its entire collection of motion pictures, filmstrips, color slides, and black and white prints and negatives on a variety of subjects."
- National Center for Afro-American Artists (Boston, Massachusetts)
- National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution (Washington, DC)
- The home page of the museum offers highlights from temporary and permanent collections, as well as teaching resources. Some of the "permanent" and special exhibitions are:
- Current and past exhibitions--all
- "African Vision: The Walt Disney--Tishman African Art Collection, February 15-September 7, 2007
- "Body of Evidence--Selections from the Contemporary African Art Collection," June 2006-April 2008
- "The Art of the Personal Object: Art from Eastern & Southern Africa," 2006
"This exhibition celebrates the creativity of African artists who have made utilitarian objects of great beauty. Made to fulfill a specific function, each object was also skillfully conceived to provoke visual and tactile delight."
- "African Gold from the Glassell Collection--Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas," May-November 2006
Gold objects by Akan artists from Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire in the 19th and 20th centuries.
- "Where Gods and Mortal s Meet: Continuity and Renewal in Urhobo Art," June-September 2005
"The exhibition is organized into sections that consider the forms and underlying aesthetic values of Urhobo society: personal images that offer protection and advancement; images of women at various stages of life; masquerade arts; and at the grandest level, communal shrine art, awesome in scale and form. Integral to the exhibition are works by contemporary Urhobo artist Bruce Onobrakpeya."
- "Textures: Words & Symbol in Contemporary African Art", February-September 2005
"The works employ text and graphic symbols to tell stories about memory, identity and the power of language. In doing so, they bring African visual histories into the global debate on conceptualism, which often melds word and image."
- "Ethiopian Passages: Dialogues in the Diaspora", May 2 - October 5, 2003
The website features videos and images by "10 artists, from across several generations, who have addressed issues of identity, experienced displacement and created new 'homelands'. Their artworks span the media--from paintings, mixed media, photography and digital prints to ceramic and papier mâché sculptures, murals and on-site installations."
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"Ethiopian Icons: Faith and Science", January 31 - October 3, 2003
The website includes images of Ethiopian Orthodox Christian icons (and processional crosses) from the 17th to the 19th centuries; plus a short bibliography.
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"Journeys & Destinations: African Artists on the Move", January 31 - November 30, 2003
A selection of images from an exhibition of works by the new African diaspora artists in Europe and the USA.
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"In and Out of Focus: Images from Central Africa 1885-1960", December 2, 2002 - March 16, 2003
The website features images from the photography exhibition.
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Mali Empire and Djenne Figures -- Curriculum Resource
These web pages offer a very brief summary of the history and art of the Mali empire, with only a few images and a list of related web links.
- Gifts & Blessings: The Textile Arts of Magagascar -- Special exhibit, April 11, 2002 - September 2, 2002.
- Encounters with the Contemporary (Selections from the Permanent Collections) -- January 2002.
- Initiation Arts in African Cultures (West and West-Central African Art) -- Includes "Spectacular Display: The Art of Nkanu Initiation", December 16, 2001 - March 3, 2002.
- Chant Avedissian: A Contemporary Artist of Egypt -- Special exhibit, November 19, 2000 - February 19, 2001.
- A Concrete Vision : Oshogbo Art in the 1960s -- Special exhibit, January 23 - October 22, 2000.
- Wrapped in Pride: Ghanaian Kente and African American Identity -- Special exhibit, September 12, 1999 - January 2, 2000.
- Hats Off! A Salute to African Headwear -- Special exhibit, July 18, 1999 - December 26, 1999.
- Claiming Art / Reclaiming Space : Post-Apartheid Art from South Africa -- Special exhibit, June 20 to September 26, 1999.
- Sokari Douglas Camp's "Church Ede - A Tribute to Her Father - Alali/Festival" (Works of the modern Nigerian woman sculptor) -- Special exhibit, March 21 - June 20, 1999. [ See also, Camp's other online exhibits below. ]
- A Personal Journey: Central African Art from The Lawrence Gussman Collection (Art from Gabon and the Congo River Basin)
- "The Ancient West African city of Benin." (Permanent)
- "The Art of the Personal Object" (Permanent) (West-Central and Central African objects)
- "Ceramic Arts" (Permanent) (Western, South-Central & Eastern Africa)
- "Images of Power and Identity" (Permanent) (West Africa, Congo Basin, Southern & Eastern Africa)
- "Olowe of Ise: a Yoruba sculptor to kings." (March-September 1998)
- The Poetics of Line: Seven Artists of the Nsukka Group (October 1997-April 1998).
- "A Spiral of History: a carved tusk from the Loango Coast, Congo." (February-April 1998)
- National Museum of Namibia Home Page (Windhoek, Namibia)
- New Museum of Contemporary Art: "Black President: The Art and Legacy of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti," July 11 -- September 28, 2003 Exhibition (New York)
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Northeast Nigeria Archaeological Research (Johann-Wolgang Goethe-Universität, Frankfurt am Main, Germany)
Since 1991 the Africa section of the Prehistory Department of the Johann- Wolfgang- Goethe- University at Frankfurt am Main, Germany, is engaged in research in Northeastern Nigeria, specifically Borno and Yobe States. The excavations have uncovered artifacts and data from the Late Stone Age onwards. This Web site includes colorful maps, photographs, illustrations, an environmental history of the region, and information about "Africa's oldest boat".
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Northwestern University, Melville J. Herskovits Library of African Studies -- Special Collections (Evanston, Illinois)
- Nouvelles Africaines -- Quand l'Afrique s'expose en images: Parcours photographiques dans le 20e Arrondissement, 68 Photographes, Paris, du 14 septembre au 8 octobre 2006 (via Africultures.com)
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"Other Africas: Images of Nigerian Modernity" Exhibit, January 15--April 21, 2002, University Museum of Southern Illinois University (John C. McCall and Christey Carwile-Routon; Carbondale, Illinois)
A "digital record" of an exhibit on fashion, popular poster art, and electronic media.
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Ousmane Sow -- Site officiel de l'artiste (Paris, France)
Ce site présente beaucoup de photos et quelques textes à propos des oeuvres choisis de Ousmane Sow, le sculpteur sénégalais bien connu qui a vécu plus de vingt ans à Paris.
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12th Congress of the Panafrican Archaeological Association for Prehistory and Related Studies, 3-10 July 2005, University of Botswana, Gaborone. Sponsored by the Archaeology Unit, Department of History.
The deadline for abstracts is November 30, 2004.
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Passport to Paradise: Visualizing Islam in West Africa and the Mouride Diaspora (UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History, University of California, Los Angeles)
A web presentation--with images and essays and information about the exhibition at the UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History, February-July 2003, and to begin a national tour thereafter. [Note: The Mourides are members of a Muslim brotherhood or movement originating in Senegal.]
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Pelmama -- Johannesburg, South Africa
(via The Haenggi Foundation, Inc., Basel, Switzerland)
A website that celebrates the works of South African contemporary artists, with sample images and background summaries on dozens of artists. 'Pelmama -- is an acronym for the "Pelindaba Museums of African and Modern Art", a project initiated by The Haenggi Foundation Inc., Johannesburg, an association not for gain established in 1978, following on the Soweto riots.'
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Remnants of ritual: selections from the Gelbard Collection of African Art (Illinois, USA)
A website featuring an image gallery from a large and varied collection of art objects mostly from West and Central Africa and a few from the region of Malawi-Mozambique-Southern Tanzania; plus information about the exhibition catalog.
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Revue noire. (Online) -- Paris: Publications Éditions Bleu Outremer, 1991-.
Excerpted texts and color images from old issues of the Paris-based African arts and culture journal, and information about subscriptions. [In French or English]
- Chongoni Rock Art, Malawi
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