Thursday, December 29, 2011

IFAN Museum of African Arts in Dakar, Senegal




IFAN Museum of African Arts 

The Musée de l'Institut Fondamental d'Afrique Noire or IFAN Museum of African Arts in Dakar, Senegal is one of the oldest art museums in West Africa. It was promoted by Léopold Senghor, the country's first President.

 In December 2007, its official title was changed to The Théodore Monod African Art Museum ("Musée Théodore Monod d'Art africain"), after the French naturalist Théodore André Monod, former director of IFAN.[1] Previously its official name had been "Le Musée d'Art africain de l'Institut fondamental d'Afrique noire Cheikh Anta Diop IFAN/CAD".


IFAN Museum of African Arts 

The museum is part of the Institut Fondamental d'Afrique Noire (IFAN) institute, founded 1936 under the Popular Front government in France. When IFAN was transferred to Cheikh Anta Diop University in 1960, the building at Place Soweto near the National Assembly of Senegal was converted into a museum. 

It is today one of the most prestigious centers for the study of African culture and part of the Cheikh Anta Diop University. As the main cultural research center of the colonies of French West Africa, it contains important collections from across Francophone Africa.


The museum is one of the regular locations used in the Dakar Biennale exhibition, showing art by contemporary African and diaspora artists.


Contact information:
Place Soweto, Plateau
Dakar, Senegal


Friday, December 23, 2011

The charm of African Arts And Crafts


Article by Herman Wheeler
Africa is well known for its art and craft works, most of these arts works are found in the form of sculptures, fabric work, decorative items, musical instruments like drums, and paintings. Most of the statues will be carved in the form of humans, which represents great leaders. They make their art work in such a way that each and every piece of art reveals their tradition and culture. Normally Africans DO NOT show affection to each other, they make their art work which resembles their culture.
The African people often include animal statues like horses, lion, etc with human sculptures to respect great people and to honor them. For example every one know that horse is a noble animal, if a human statue is included with this animal, then he is considered as an honorable and respected person. Most of these carvings are made out of wood and stones.
Evidences of African art could be found as early as 500 BC, with carved rocks in the Sahara and sculptures from Nigeria. The use of bronze, brass and other metalwork, as well as the incorporation of terracotta, ivory and other embellishments were attributed to go back as far as 10th century AD, and usually reserved for royalty. African art forms that were not statues or figurines were still meant to be three-dimensional pieces. Decorative fabrics are meant to be worn, with the wearer becoming part of the art piece, while wall paintings, usually carved from wood, though flat, become part of the residence that it is hung in.
A large part of African arts and crafts is traditional arts, which were deeply woven into the daily life and culture of the different African peoples, and now found on display in most museums. An example of these is the African mask. Africans use masks in ceremonial and ritual practices, usually in celebration, but also to prepare for war, to initiate a young warrior, and before a harvest.
They design the masks according to their county or tribe, each design has its own kind of pattern and style. For example the Dan people of Ivory Coast and Liberia carve their masks with features such as wide fore head, flattened nose, full lips, and the strands of rope attached at the top of masks to make it look like hairs. The people of Congo in Punu make their masks with wood and paint it in white color, which resembles rich women. And they use these masks to scare off evil spirits and witches.
Other African arts and crafts used in old African traditions are African baskets. The baskets of the Etsha and Gumare tribes in Botswana are particularly famous for their beauty. While baskets are usually carried over the head, the influence of foreign cultures has modified the way baskets are carried, allowing totes to be slung around one’s shoulders. The result is many gorgeous designs of African ladies’ handbags which are still quite unique and appealing, using indigenous materials such as mud cloth and suede, decorated with fringes and cowries shells. Contemporary, yet still reflective of a vast heritage of African arts and culture.
About the Author
Herman Wheeler had focused mostly on psychology and spirituality, but he had been a long time collector of African Art and Crafts. So he started the website www.theafricanartwheel.com to share his passion on African arts with other people. Visit Theafticanartwheel.com and decorate your home with the miracle and wonder of original hand-made African

How to Buy African Masks, African Art, African masks On the Market


African masks come in many different styles. African art is becoming the fashion trends. African masks on the market are the new craze when it comes to decorating rooms with African motif.
There many place online to buy African masks, but be careful of all the cheap replicas that are circulating on the web. To buy African masks or genuine African masks, http://www.africanstreetmarket.com will help you with the best tips to buy African masks and other advice to buy African arts online.
African arts and African motifs are becoming very popular. These products come in a wide range of shapes and sizes. The cost of these items can vary greatly. If you are looking for nice African arts or African masks to decorate your walls, you will find a great deal of available items to choose from. However, if you are looking to collect rare antiques African masks or African art, then you may have to find a reputable art dealer to make your purchases. Each African masks tells a different story. In Africa, there many different tribes and each of these tribes will have their own mask. Each of these masks carving will be different to represent the tribes. You will need to do some homework and familiar yourself with some of the tribes in order to understand what you are buying and be able to differentiate between the tribes.
Some of the African masks can be scary looking. These masks come in a wide variety of colors. Because of the wide range of colors the African mask comes in, keep in mind you can use them to decorate your home in a color coordinate with your taste.
Because of the internet, there is no need to travel to Africa to find African arts and African Masks. You can locate them easily online as there are a number of sources that have a wide variety for you to select from and to purchase African masks.

Smithsonian National Museum of African Art -Washington DC



The National Museum of African Art is a museum that is part of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.. Located on the National Mall, the museum specializes in African art and culture. It was established as a private museum in 1964, and officially became a part of the Smithsonian Institution in August 1979.
The museum's main entrance is situated off the gardens in front of the Smithsonian Castle on Independence Avenue Southwest. The National Museum of African Art is an underground museum with subterranean connections with the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery and the Freer Gallery of Art.
Artwork in the museum comes from all parts of Africa, but most of it is from the region south of the Sahara. Represented countries include MaliCameroon,Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of CongoSouth AfricaGhana, and Morocco, among others. Most of the items in the collection are sculptures, masks, furniture, and musical instruments made from wood.



The roots of the museum date back to a chance purchase of a $15 carving of the Yoruba people by Warren M. Robbins in Hamburg,Germany in the early 1960s. Robbins purchased another 32 pieces of African art a year later, and brought his collection with him when he returned to the United States, putting them on display at his home in Washington, D.C. After a newspaper article was published about his collection, visitors started appearing at the door and were welcomed in to view the works.
In 1963, Robbins purchased half of a home at 316-18 A Street Northeast that had been the residence of abolitionist Frederick Douglassfrom 1871 to 1877. When it opened in May 1964, it was the first museum in the United States dedicated to African art exclusively. In succeeding years, Robbins raised money to acquire the remaining half of the Douglass house, naming it the Museum of African Art. As the collection grew, he purchased adjoining residences, with his museum ultimately including nine townhouses, 16 garages and two carriage houses.[
In 1979, Congress agreed to have the Smithsonian Institution assume management of the collection. Robbins served as the museum's first director, remaining in the position until 1983 when he was named founding director emeritus and a Smithsonian senior scholar, and replaced as director by Sylvia H. Williams. The museum relocated from its Capitol Hill townhouse to the National Mall on September 1987, and was renamed the National Museum of African Art.

Current Exhibitions



Hours and admission
10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily except December 25; admission is free
Contacting us
National Museum of African Art Smithsonian Institution
P.O. Box 37012    MRC 708
Washington, DC 20013-7012
202.633.4600
202.357.4879 (fax)
nmafaweb@si.edu

Afro-Brazilian Museum - Salvador Brazil



Created in the 70s, from a cultural cooperation program between Brazil and African countriesand the development of thematic studies on the african-Brazilian, Afro-Brazilian Museum was inaugurated on January 7, 1982, in historic building, the old center of Salvador, built on the sitewhere he ran the Royal College of Jesuits of the sixteenth to the eighteenth century and later, in 1808, the first Medical School in Brazil.

The Museum is the result of an agreement between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Education and Culture, the State Government of Bahia, the City of Salvador and the Federal University of Bahia, an organ which is found on through the Center for African Studies East (CEAO). The latter was the executor of the program that gave rise to the Museum and is stillresponsible for its maintenance. Its creation corresponded to the wishes of the existence of an area of ​​collection, preservation and dissemination of collections relating to African cultures andafrican-Brazilian, with the aim of strengthening relations with Africa and understand the importance of this continent in promoting Brazilian culture, for Furthermore, contacts with the local community.

The original design of 1974, designed by anthropologist and photographer Pierre Verger, was developed by architect Oswald and Jacyra etnolinguista Yeda Pessoa de Castro, among other teachers and researchers at the Federal University of Bahia and external consultants. Between the years 1997 and 1999 MAFRA went through a process of renovation of its exposure.

In addition to its educational program, the Museum is also continuously required for official visitsof Heads of State and / or their representatives, as well as intellectuals and researchers relatedto African cultures and african-Brazilian. Through its collection, supports publications and alsothe production of television programs and movies.



MAFRO Hours:

Mon-Fri 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Weekends and holidays 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Address & Contact Information:

Address: Terreiro de Jesus / Former School of Medicine complex
Historic Downtown Salvador (Centro Histórico)
Salvador - BA
Phone: 55-71-3321-2013
Fax: 55-71-3321-2013
www.mafro.ceao.ufba.br

Admission :

Admission valid to MAFRO (ground floor) and the Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology (downstairs)
Adults: R$5
Kids 6-12: R$2,50
Students (with ID card): R$2,50

National Museum Accra Ghana




Objects  of archeology, ethnography as well as fine art find place in the National Museum  building.
Objects  at the archeology section range from the stone age period to the recent  historical past. Those on permanent exhibition at the ethnography gallery include chief’s regalia, indigenous Ghanian musical instruments, gold-weights,  beads, traditional textiles, stools and pottery.

 There are also objects from  other African countries acquired through exchange. Examples are Senfu masks from  La Cote D’ Ivoire, Zulu wooden figures and bead-ware from Southern Africa.

In  addition there are also ancient Ife bronze heads from Nigeria and Bushongo  carvings from the Congo. Exhibits at the small but impressive art gallery consist mainly of contemporary Ghanian paintings executed in oil, pasted,  acrylic, watercolour and collages.

Apart  from these there are sculpture pieces in different media
Temporary  exhibitions are held not only by the National Museum but also by individuals  and foreign embassies.
Guided  tours are provided and films on some aspects of Ghanian culture are shown
by the staff of the Education Section.
It is more than our wish that every guest, while enjoying his or her visit to  the National Museum, adds some more knowledge to what he or she might have already about Ghana’s material cultural heritage.
Telephone:
00233-021-221633

00233-021-221635
E-mail:

Address:
National Museum Accra
Barnes Road
P.O. box GP 3343
Accra, Ghana





Visiting hours:
Daily  from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., except Christmas day

Fee:
6 Ghana Cedis


Buffalo Soldiers National Museum - Houston Texas

Buffalo Soldiers National Museum -Houston Texas


Exhibit Hours:
Monday – Friday
10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Saturday
10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
General Admission:
$5.00 per adult
$3.00 per student
Museum Bookings Allow the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum to assist you with planning your next meeting, social outing, or business networking event. For more information call
(713) 942-8920 or send us an e-mail at info@buffalosoldiermuseum.com






Brief History

The Beginning
African Americans have served proudly in every great American war. In 1866, through an act of Congress, legislation was adopted to create six all African American Army units. The units were identified as the 9th and 10th cavalry and the 38th, 39th, 40th, and 41st infantry regiments. The four infantry regiments were later reorganized to form the 24th and 25th infantry regiments.
These fighting men represented the first Black professional soldiers in a peacetime army. The recruits came from varied backgrounds including former slaves and veterans from service in the Civil War.


The Nickname

The nickname buffalo soldiers began with the Cheyenne warriors in 1867. The actual Cheyenne translation was Wild Buffalo. The nickname was given out of respect and the fierce fighting ability of the 10th cavalry. Overtime, Buffalo Soldiers became a generic term for all African American soldiers.