AfricanArtPedagogy

<h3>African Art: A Pedagogical Hypertexted Journey</h3> Click on any link to begin exploring or start with the [[Course Description]] [img[Maridadi Fabrics|media/maridadifabric-sml_file_001.jpg]] A contemporary Kenyan textile <i>A note on the textile*</i>: "Although Kenya has a rich tradition in the crafts of personal adornment of nomadic peoples, there was little weaving or cloth design before the Arab and European intrusions. The major exception is the making and decorating of barkcloth in western Kenya near Lake Victoria. The first printed fabrics in East Africa (Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda, who share a similar artistic heritage and whose artists continue to cooperate) were probably the Arab block prints used on the coast and on the islands, which have evolved into the khanga, the popular cloth worn by women. The founders of Maridadi Fabrics felt a special responsibility and challenge as they started to design and print the first Kenyan fabrics. They believed and the designers continue to believe - it is important to encourage a design style that grows from traditional Kenyan sources and to develop a distinctive East African look. The pool of inspiration in Kenya is as diverse as it is wide: there are numerous ethnic groups with varied customs and artifacts, there is the Arab-Swahili architectural legacy at the coast, and there are the flora and fauna of Kenya's spectacular natural environment." *from "Maridadi Fabrics," by ELSBETH COURT and MICHAEL MWANGI, <i>AFRICAN ARTS</i> (U.S.A.), vol. 10, issue 1, 1976-10-01. Curriculum by [[Leslie Townsend]] Twine development by [[Bobby White]], Instructional Designer, & [[Lisa Conrad]], Digital Scholarship Librarian

Lisa Conrad Digital Scholarship Librarian Meyer Library, Oakland lconrad@cca.edu Lisa is excited to engage with the CCA community on digital scholarship initiatives in the newly created position of digital scholarship librarian. She also provides guidance on issues related to intellectual property, and offers reference and information literacy instruction. She received an MFA in Visual Arts from the University of Illinois at Chicago's School of Art and Art History, and an MLIS from San Jose State University's School of Library and Information Science. Images from her art work 4 1/2 feet can be seen at facebook.com/fourandahalffeet. <<back>>

Leslie Townsend Adjunct Professor California College of the Arts Teaching the course African Art in the Visual Studies program at CCA fulfills Leslie’s commitment to explore African arts with students from diverse art practices and backgrounds. Leslie has been on the faculty of both Writing and Literature, and Visual Studies for the past four years. In previous teaching and administrative roles, she directed programs and taught courses at a number of institutions. Highlights include: the Outreach Program for the Council on African Studies at Yale University, where she won a Fulbright Hays Group Projects Award to Kenya and Zanzibar; the Community Service Writing program, Writing and Critical Thinking, Feminist studies, and learning courses at Stanford University; the service learning program at Mills College; and, Women’s Studies courses, and the Balanced Curriculum project at the University of Connecticut, Storrs. Creative endeavors include the film “She Can Throw Like a Girl.” B.A. in African Studies from the University of Washington. M.A., and A.B.D. at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in African Languages and Literature, specializing in linguistics, literature, and Hausa language, with three National Defense Foreign Language fellowships. <<back>>

This course considers art in [[Africa|Map of Africa]], from that of ancient societies to that made by creative youth in contemporary urban centers. Perspectives on the production of traditional arts, with reference to their indigenous cultural function and aesthetics, will lead to concern for the effects of colonialism and HIV/AIDS on art in the modern era. Subject, form, purpose, ethnic/language group, regional style, country, gender and sexuality will be comparatively considered in a variety of media, including sculpture, painting, textiles, design, and film. [[what questions do we ask?]] <<back>>

<h2>African Art Pedagogy</h2> [[Curriculum Guide|Syllabus]] [[Students in action]] [[Teaching Philosophy and Learning Outcomes]] [[Experience African Art]] [[Home|A Pedagogical Hypertexted Journey Through African Art]]

<h3>Teaching Philosophy and Learning Outcomes</h3> [[Learning Outcomes - Skills]] [[Learning Outcomes - Knowledge]] [[Reflections]] on teaching African Art at California College of the Arts <<back>>

We will ask questions about the definition, form, and content of “African” art, its evaluation, its locations throughout the diaspora. Who are “African” artists? How, from our points of view in the west, can we become familiar with the extraordinarily diverse expression of creativity across centuries, and up to the present? What do artists from Africa value in art, in making it, in locating its meanings? What do they have in mind when the make art; how can we understand their intentions? What is the significance of “race,” “ethnicity,” “language and culture,” to an understanding of African history and art? How can we be mindful of the role we play—and the meanings we assign--in incorporating understandings of African art in our own work and lives? These questions will intersect with students’ own knowledge and research in our seminar. [[What texts are used?]] <<back>>

 Handouts (distributed in class) <ul> <li>See handout on [[Typology of African Masks|Typology of African Masks Handout Part 1]]</li> <li>See handout on [[Stereotypes|Stereotypes Handout]]</li> </ul>  Videos, shown in class. Some videos will be from the CCA library, others from public libraries, the instructors’ personal copies, and other sources  Books on reserve  Museum visits--DeYoung Museum Africa Collection  Guest presenters continue to [[requirements]] <<back>>

Visual and written research; papers; homework n.b.: Students must complete required work in all segments in order to pass the seminar. --Paper (25%): 7-12 page paper on topic of your choice, with the approval of your professor. What does your topic say/show within its specific context; how do you know—what evidence do you have from the visual/written/oral materials; what does it mean? Due: May 3rd. --Exams and Quizzes (25%): Midterm exam: 1 hour; Final exam: 1-2 hours Quizzes: graded/ungraded quizzes, in class, weekly. --Homework (25%): weekly short assignments, journal entries, in-class reflection writing; museum visits. Longer reading assignments will be divided up amongst students for informal class reporting. --Presentations and discussion, participation (25%): one formal rehearsal and one formal presentation on your paper; brief presentations on assigned homework; critiques/feedback on peer class work. --Conferences with the instructor: 2 required meetings: 1 for paper pre-approval; 1 to review first complete draft of the paper. Additional meetings welcome and encouraged. Attendance: Regular attendance and participation in lectures, discussion, presentations, peer critiques. 3 unexcused absences will result in a failing grade for the course—we meet once a week in a seminar format, and your participation is important. Respect for others’ opinions, along with spirited, thoughtful discussion is expected. If you miss a class, please consult with your peers for notes, and with the professor for missed assignments. There will be no make-ups for quizzes or the mid-term and final. continue to [[Museum/Field Trips]] <<back>>

Museum/Field Trips (required): you’ll have a chance to view art in a museum context and form your own opinion about the possibilities of display/viewing/participation in the museum setting. Be sure to take a sketch book/journal for noting observations and inspiration. 1) DeYoung Museum, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco: Africa collection, including work by El Anatsui (woven metal sculpture); Kane Kwei (casket); traditional masquerade, sculpture, metal work—dozens of items in Africa section (permanent display). Group or individual visit; Tues-Sunday, 9:30a.m.-5:15 p.m., closed Monday. Group tour with class, no cost. On your own--Students: $6. First Tuesday of each month, free. We will plan a class visit outside of class as your schedules permit. If you cannot go to the organized class visit, you are expected to visit the museum on your own. 2) Pacific Film Archives: African Film Festival, Jan. 17-Feb. 17, 2015 This film festival, and a shorter series that follows it, Afterimage: Filmmakers and Critics in Conversation: Mati Diop, February 19, 2015 - February 21, 2015, are unusual opportunites to view African cinema close to campus. Note that the filmmaker will be present Feb. 19-20. More information at the end of this [[syllabus|Bay Area Museums]]. continue to [[Other museums of interest in the region]] <<back>>

Other museums of interest in the region: --Museum of the African Diaspora, San Francisco – various exhibits, speakers --Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Center for the Visual Arts, Stanford University – permanent Africa collection --Crocker Museum of Art, Sacramento --Fowler Museum, UCLA, Los Angeles --Hearst Museum of Anthropology, UC Berkeley continue to [[Grading Policy]] <<back>>

<h3>Grading Policy</h3> A outstanding achievement—significantly exceeds standards B commendable achievement—exceeds standards C acceptable achievement—meets standards D marginal achievement—below standards F failing continue to [[Week 1]] <<back>>

<b>Stories, Motifs, and Narrative in African Oral Literature</b> Introductions: Syllabus, points of view. Student locations. Course expectations. Quiz 1: pre-test on African locations—language and nation Geography, history, languages, cultures Questionnaire: What do we know about Africa? [[Stereotypes|Stereotypes Handout]] (handout) Frantz Fanon: philosophies Harold Scheub, “The African Storyteller” Maps continue to [[Week 2]] <<back>>

<b>What is “African” Art, two views</b> Read for today: perspectives on “African” art (handouts) --Chris Spring. African Art in Detail, 6-11. --Christopher B. Steiner. “The Taste of Angels in the Art of Darkness: Fashioning the canon of African Art,” 132-143. View in class: --Esther A. Dagan, “Dance in Africa” (CCA Library, GV 1705 D35 1987) Lecture & View: Form and function 1: Introduction to African Sculpture, Mask and Masquerade, part 1 Handout & Images: [[African Masks: The Barbier-Mueller Collection|Typology of African Masks Handout Part 1]] Brainstorm paper topics; find three (3) sources for next class on one topic and write a short paragraph (typed) with your paper proposal. What do you want to learn about? Who are the artists, or cultures; what is the period or genre, media; what context do/did they inhabit? How do they identify? What evidence is available to you? What is your main question so far—what would you like to know? Handout: Paper assignment *Field Trip Sat 31, DeYoung Museum, Embodiments exhibit; Lecture; Docent Tour continue to [[Week 3]]

<b>What is “art” in Africa, traditionally? Who are African artists?</b> Read for today: --Thompson, Robert Farris. “Esthetics in Traditional Africa.” Art News 66 no. 9 (January 1968): 60-61, 63, 65-66 Question: What is “primitive” art? And what is “First Peoples” art [Musee du Quai Branly, Paris] --William Bascom, “A Yoruba Master Carver: Duga of Meko,” 62-78 (first half) Question: What is the carver’s idea about craft? Quality? View in Class: --Arts of Ife, ancient Yoruba traditions --Arts of the Benue River Valley Questions: What generalizations can we make about a particular African art object/genre, or people who participated in its generation? How much do we need to qualify our claims? What will we learn by engaging visual rhetorical thinking? What is the best way of securing evidence for our critical thinking and viewing? Why is there disagreement about the history of some pieces of art? Paper proposal due (see Wed. Jan 28th for description) continue to [[Week 4]] <<back>>

<b>Metal; masks; masquerades. Dualisms, gender.</b> Read for today: --William Bascom, “A Yoruba Master Carver: Duga of Meko,” 62-78 (second half) Question: What is the carver’s idea about craft? Quality? View: --African Art: Its Cultural Meaning, Mary Lee and Sydney Nolan; Princeton, NJ: Films for the Humanities and Sciences, 2004. CCA Library N7380 A3448 --Arts and Myths (Dogon Heddle Pulley). Musee du Quai Branly, Paris. CCA Library N5311 A778 2006 Images of dualism, views on gender representations in sculpture continue to [[Week 5]] <<back>>

<b>Traditional to Modern: Jewelry/Metal</b> Lecture & View: Contemporary Tuareg Jewelry Abroad; Sculpture and Metal Quiz Read for Today: --Seligman, Thomas K. “Going Global: Tuareg Jewelry in the International Marketplace,” African Arts, Summer 2006, 48-56 --The Master of Hanging Pieces…How El Anatsui Rose to Fame in New African, June 2013, 90-94 (excerpts from Susan Mullin Vogel, El Anatsui: Life and Art. Prestel) continue to [[Week 6]] <<back>>

<b>Research Paper Workshop: 3-5 page draft due with 5 references, 3 from academic journals</b> Read for Today: --The Master of Hanging Pieces… How El Anatsui Rose to Fame in New African, June 2013, 90-94 (excerpts from Susan Mullin Vogel, El Anatsui: Life and Art. Prestel), continued. View in class: -- The Long Tears: an Ndebele Story, David Forbes continue to [[Week 7]] <<back>>

<b>Mid-term: 30-45 minutes, in class East Africa: Kenya HIV/AIDS Activism Intro to S. Africa: Gender and Art</b> Read for today: --Kaori Izumi, editor, Reclaiming Our Lives: HIV and AIDS, Women’s Land and Property Rights and Livelihoods in Southern and East Africa, Narratives and Responses View in class: (video) Side by Side: Women Against AIDS in Zimbabwe --Marion Arnold, Women and Art in South Africa. Capetown: David Philip, 1996, 18-30. (excerpts) continue to [[Week 8]] <<back>>

<b>South African Township Art/Field Trip either in class or scheduled for Weekend</b> Bring sketch book and/or note pad to draw/respond to specific works you’ll view o How do the works on display illustrate what you have learned so far in class? o What is your response to the formal properties of the art? What you understand their purpose or function or symbolic value to be? To any other sense you have of them? What do you imagine the artist had in mind? o What do you think of the role of display in the presentation of this collection? o How would you envision presenting these works? What would you change, if anything? Read for Today: --Gavin Younge, Art of the South African Townships, New York: Rizzoli, 1998, pp. 23-58 (24 pp, incl photos). CCA Oakland stacks: N 7394 H66 Y68 1988 continue to [[Week 9]] <<back>>

<b>Student presentations: initial researches Southern Africa, cont.; Oral Tradition/Writing</b> Read for Today: --Ibrahim El-Salahi, “The Artist in His Own Words,” 81-91 in Salah M. Hassan, editor. <i>Ibrahim El-Salahi: A Visionary Modernist.</i> New York: Museum for African Art, 2012. View: Video: “Sangoma: Traditional Healers in Modern Society” Video: “Certain Doubts of William Kentridge CCA library: N7306.K45 C4720000 continue to [[Week 10]] <<back>>

<b>Contemporary and Traditional Art – Photography; Textiles</b> Read for today: ---Zanene Muholi, Faces and Phases. Munich: Prestel, 2010. [excerpts in class] --Janet Goldner, “Using the Past to Sculpt the Costume of the Future: An Interview with Kandioura Culibaly, in Suzanne Gott and Kristyne Loughran, eds. Contemporary African Fashion. Bloomingon, I U Press, 2010, pp. 105-21 [16 pp] Recommended: --Joanne Bubolz Eicher, Nigerian Handcrafted Textiles --Chris Spring, African Textiles Today (British Museum) Lecture and View: Art of the Kanga (Kenya and beyond) continue to [[Week 11]] <<back>>

<b>Contemporary Art – Sculpture; Fashion</b> Lecture/View: Contemporary Fashion/Design; Artists Read for Today: --Ruth Simbao, “A Sense of Pause: Ruth Simbao interviews Nandipha Mntambo,” in Nandipha Mntambo. Cape Town: Stevenson, 2011, pp. 9-22. (Recommended: David Elliott, “The Silence that No One Talks About” pp. 25-31.) continue to [[Week 12]] <<back>>

<b>Contemporary Arts – Urban/Youth. Gender, redux</b> Paper Presentations in class (6 students) Read for today: --Ibrahim El-Salahi, “The Artist in His Own Words,” 81-91 in Salah M. Hassan, editor. <i>Ibrahim El-Salahi: A Visionary Modernist.</i> New York: Museum for African Art, 2012. continue to [[Week 13]] <<back>>

<b>Paper Presentations in class (6 students)</b> Penny Siopis <iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/41304300" width="400" height="295" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe> continue to [[Week 14]] <<back>>

<b>Conferences, Revising</b> Paper Presentations in class (3 students) Final Paper due Friday, May 1st in my mailbox on campus, by 3:00 p.m. continue to [[Week 15]] <<back>>

<b>Summing Up, Inspirations</b> * Recommended: Jack Flam and Daniel Shapiro, Western Artists/African Art. New York: The Museum for African Art, 1994 Review Final exam in class continue to [[Learning Outcomes - Skills]] <<back>>

<h3>Skills</h3> Upon completing this course you will be able to: <ol> <li>Demonstrate the ability to deploy research and close visual analysis in the development of a thesis that reflects independent thought about the visual environment under consideration, in a seven to twelve page paper that utilizes the conventions of scholarly writing, literate English, and at least five peer-reviewed, or other credible, outside sources.</li> <li>Demonstrate the ability to effectively communicate the results of research in an illustrated oral presentation. (n.b. you are encouraged to engage with different types of information sources, e.g. library, archival, digital, personal interviews, etc.)</li> <li>Demonstrate the ability to participate appropriately and interactively in a seminar-style intellectual community.</li> </ol> continue to [[Learning Outcomes - Knowledge]] <<back>>

<h3>Knowledge</h3> Upon completing the course you will: <ol> <li>Demonstrate the ability to interpret the particular visual environment under consideration.</li> <li>Demonstrate understanding of the larger cultural, theoretical/ideological and historical context in which the visual artifacts under consideration were/are created and received.</li> </ol> continue to [[Bay Area Museums]] <<back>>

<h3>MUSEUMS</h3> - DeYoung Museum—Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco - Cantor Arts Center, Stanford University (walking distance from Caltrain, Palo Alto station) <h4>Africa at the Cantor</h4> The Cantor Arts Center’s African art collection includes works from across the continent, dating from the pre-dynastic periods of ancient Egypt to the present day. Of the almost 1800 objects in the African collection, about 1100 works originate from ancient Egyptian and Coptic traditions, whereas about 650 were made in diverse sub-Saharan cultures during the late 19th to the early 20th centuries. The Center’s sub-Saharan collection is especially strong in figurative arts made mostly by western and central African artists. Also represented are utilitarian objects and body adornment made by Zulu and Ndebele artists of South Africa, as well as a large selection of metal, leather, and basketry made by the contemporary Tuareg artists of Niger. Recent acquisitions of works by Moroccan artist Lalla Essaydi and Kenyan artist Magdalene Odundo heralded a new direction in the Center’s collection development, which now includes contemporary works by artists from Africa and its diasporas who work in an international style. A small alcove of the African gallery includes a small selection ancient Egypt bronze figures depicting gods and goddesses. Approximately 80 objects currently on view in the larger gallery are devoted exclusively to sub-Saharan Africa, including fine quality masks and figures from the Bamana, Senufo, and Dogon peoples of Mali, the Fang and Tsogo of Gabon, and the Luba and Yaka of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Recent acquisitions also on display include a selection of healing objects from northeastern Tanzania, utilitarian objects made by Nguni artists from South Africa, and a small selection of body arts traditionally worn by Himba women in Angola. continue to [[Video Resources]] <<back>>

<b>Videos and Locations</b> <i>CCA = CCA Library Oakland Campus; OPL = Oakland Public Library/Branch</i> The Manuscripts of Timbuktu, Zola Maseko, California Newsreel, 2009. OPL/ Temescal; DVD 913.397 Elephant Tales, MGM 2008. OPL/Rockridge; J DVD F Elephant Kirikou and the Wild Beast, Didier Brunner, 2008. CCA; and OPL/Rockridge J DVD F Kirikou Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa. OPL/Piedmont J DVD F Madagascar Change, El Anatsui. PBS Art 21: Art in the 21st Century, Season 6 (2012), N6512.7.A765 2012. CCA Oakland and SF Arts and Myths. Arte France, a series by Lludovic Segarra, production Program 33, Fabrice Coat. --Dogon (West Africa) Heddle Pulley --Fang (West Africa) Reliquary Head, N5311.A778.2006. CCA Oakland Films4Peace, Nandipha Mntambo continue to [[Web Resources]] <<back>>

To give you an idea of the breadth of media the course draws on, I've chosen several books and a video, which you can view here and in the library display case to your right. How, people ask, can one semester cover the 50+ countries, 1,000+ societies, the centuries of history of art, craft, and artists in Africa? We think about iconic figures, such as bronze sculptures, questions of representation, and modern art and artists, up to the contemporary artist Zanele Muholi. Most of all, we try to imagine Africa from an African perspective, through image and video, sound recordings, and text. Before you look at a few examples of art and culture that span the continent of Africa, do you know where you [[are?|Map of Africa for Experience African Art]] <<back>>

Included in this section are pivotal moments—-a map exercise and research paper excerpts--in the arc of students’ learning in the course. To stimulate their sense of place, a map exercise during the first class session, repeated the second week, quickly establishes awareness of the vast African landmass, and later, its complex cultural landscapes. To document their visual studies journey, the research paper asks students to interrogate a topic. They choose this elective course to deepen their understanding of the arts of Africa; the paper invites them to access library research tools, replacing curiosity with reflection through scholarship about Africans’ creative accomplishments. See their first [[assignment|map assignment]]. <<back>>

How many countries in Africa can you identify? The first day of class, students fill in the names of the African countries they know. How many could you fill in to a blank map of the continent? [img[blank map of Africa|media/256px-Blank_Map-Africa.png]] [[See how students did|map assignment quiz 1]] <<back>>

[img[student 1, week 1|media/student01mapweekone.jpg]] [img[student 2, week 1|media/student02mapweekone.jpg]] By week 2, would you be able to identify 6 more countries than you knew the first week of class? To get a sense of how students improved, on average, see the week 2 [[maps|map assignment quiz 2]] of 2 students. <<back>>

[img[student 1, week 2|media/student01mapweektwo.jpg]] [img[student 2, week 2|media/student02mapweektwo.jpg]] [[check out assignment 2|Research Papers]] <<back>>

<b>Web Resources</b> African Art on the Internet, a Stanford University comprehensive website on Africa http://web.stanford.edu/dept/SUL/library/prod//depts/ssrg/africa/art.html El Anatsui slide show of work (viewed 12/11/2013) http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2013/02/10/arts/design/20130210-anatsui.html In Step with the Times: Mapiko Masquerades of Mozambique, by Paolo Israel. Ohio University Press/Swallow, 2014. Web links for videos: http://www.ohioswallow.com/book/In+Step+with+the+Times (viewed 2-26-2015) Youtube.com “African Tales the Movie—The Mark of Uru” Nandipha Mntambo: A Visit with South African artist Nandipha Mntambo in her studio. (Installation art; performance art/dance; film; textiles—cowhide) African Film Festival 2015 -- January 17, 2015 - February 17, 2015 Berkeley Art Museum/Pacific Film Archives (BAM/PFA) see [[Students in action]] <<back>>

Bobby White Instructional Designer Meyer Library, Oakland bobbywhite@cca.edu Bobby is an Instructional Designer supporting faculty and students in the use of online teaching and learning tools at CCA. They received a BA in Photography at the University of California, Santa Cruz and some of their photos can be found on Instagram @cupoflizard. <<back>>

Along with reading, viewing images and video/film, class presentation and discussion, students write a research paper. The assignment is [[scaffolded|Scaffolding of Research Process]] across the term so that their questions and ideas have time to germinate. During the final three weeks of the semester, they integrate images and/or video with a brief version of their paper for a presentation. <b>Examples of student work</b> Wik To Ricco Lam (topic: Yoruba masquerades) Justin Chin (topic: Tanzanian artist) Brittany Thagard (topic: U.S. compared to S. African animated film) <b>Introduction to Assignment</b> Research Paper: 7-12 page paper on topic of your choice, with the approval of your professor. What does your topic say/show within its specific context; how do you know—what evidence do you have from the visual/written/oral materials; what does it mean? <<back>>

<h3>Scaffolding of Research Process</h3> <ol> <li><b>Begin research</b></li> Brainstorm paper topics; find three (3) sources for next class on one topic and write a short paragraph (typed) with your paper proposal. What do you want to learn about? Who are the artists, or cultures; what is the period or genre, media; what context do/did they inhabit? How do they identify? What evidence is available to you? What is your main question so far—what would you like to know? <li><b>Paper Proposal Due early in semester</b></li> <li><b>Research-Paper Workshop</b></li> 3-5 page draft due with 5 references, 3 from academic journals <li><b>Presentations and discussion</b></li> One formal rehearsal and one formal presentation on your paper. <li><b>Conferences with the instructor</b></li> 2 required meetings: 1 for paper pre-approval; 1 to review first complete draft of the paper. </ol> Read excerpt from Brittany Thagard's [[Khumba and Madagascar: Seemingly Similar, Vastly Different|Khumba and Madagascar: Seemingly Similar, Vastly Different]] <<back>>

Brittany’s research paper on animation contrasts the commercialization of the “exotic” Africa, as American zoo animals unintentionally make a trip to Madagascar, with those of a South African zebra, Khumba, born on a reserve, who risks being exploited as an object of tourism when he seeks to correct his only flaw, his lack of stripes. <h3>Khumba and Madagascar: Seemingly Similar, Vastly Different</h3> Author: Brittany Thagard ...Next is a further analysis of how Africa is represented within each film. To be frank, Madagascar obviously had an American, idealized fantasy view of Africa that they played off of to hype of the comedy of the film. Marty’s inner journey—he wanted to feel more like a zebra and felt there was more to a Zebra’s life than living in a zoo—lead him to a place he always had called “the Wild.” If anything, that re-enforces his small world mentality—HE has never left his home at the NYC zoo. The mural of a large grassy field and green trees and a colorful sky, inspired Marty to leave for “Connecticut.” Thanks to a friend who pointed this out, Chase Kumasaka, it was brought to my attention that Marty never addresses “the Wild” as his true home. Instead, it is simply this new, exotic place for him to live out the rest of his life. A bit naïve, frankly, but Marty is, in a sense, on a pursuit of happiness and his world thus far consists of an imaginary Africa and the reality of the NYC zoo. When he reaches Madagascar, the first thing to come to their mind is San Diego Zoo. It is not until they meet the native lemurs and their “king” that they are told they are in Madagascar. For the time being, Marty convinces his friends, especially Alex the Lion, to let out his “wild side” and let loose. This causes Alex, who too hasn’t eaten properly, to turn feral and attack Marty. In Madagascar, “The Wild” is as boisterous and lively as New York, full of exciting and new sights, smells, sounds—it’s as exotic as many would imagine it to be--except the law of survival still exists, reaffirming that Africa is this “Wild” place where you go to be less civilized. Khumba, is already set within Africa: South Africa’s Grand Karoo to be exact. Because the studio and the film itself is set in South Africa, there is very little fantasizing of Africa, besides Khumba having a desire to know what lies outside of his [zebra] herd’s enclosure—what appears to me as genuine curiosity—because he never knew of a world without that fence. The wildlife reserve, where the safari trucks drive around and take photos, almost represents the imaginary view of the “African Safari” and how the reserve’s “paradise” (a large lake, green grass, lots of diverse animals and life) was that “exotic” Africa. And when the animals started to rebell? They were threatened, chased and Khumba, who was probably seen as a valuable anomaly, was nearly captured. To me, this portion of the film shows the incredibly terrifying and tragic side of “being different.” This is not acceptance of Khumba’s lack of stripes, it is a fetishization, an objectification, and a spectacle--something that would have probably been used to draw in tourists. If the film had gone that way, Khmuba’s source of ostracization would have been exploited. see excerpt from Wik To Ricco Lam's [[Yoruba Masquerades and the Yoruba|Wik To Ricco Lam]] <<back>>

[img[Map of Africa|media/AfricanMapfilled-out.png]] A snapshot of the continent of Africa, with its 50+ countries. Credit: By Andreas 06 (Own work), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons <<back>>

Initially, students in the African Art course approach their perspectives on Africa, through a [[map|Map of Africa]] of the continent and its countries, its 1000-2000 [[cultures and languages]], and to preconceived notions that may constitute [[stereotypical|Stereotypes Handout]] thinking about Africans, and their art. [[more|3]] <<back>>

Often, students in the course do not have much previous knowledge about the continent or African art, except what they may have seen in cartoons or in a museum, such as the African art holdings in San Francisco’s de Young Museum, for example, the Embodiments exhibit. Less well known artists such as Tanzanian artist Edward Tingatinga are unfamiliar to Western artists and audiences. Student Justin Chin explored this artist in his research [[paper|Tingatinga Art]]. [[more|4]] <<back>>

We immerse ourselves in a section of southern Africa’s eastern coast where the Xhosa, Swathi, Ndebele, and Zulu peoples have, for generations, lived, farmed, raised families. And we soon find that women, along with some men, have long engaged in performative storytelling, a sometimes epic, community-based verbal art. Performances take place largely outdoors, the stories embrace myth, motifs, and legends for audiences ranging from children to elders. In the video The Storyteller, with Harold Scheub, emeritus Professor at the University of Wisconsin, we see the art, artists, and learn about Scheub’s efforts to deliver hundreds of hours of digitized sound recordings of oral narrative to the country of South Africa. <iframe width="420" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HRD0DM3Jjfc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> [[more|5]] <<back>>

Soon we look at how museums, where most people in the U.S. view art from Africa, display objects. We ask, “ do traditional masks, carved figures, ritual objects (student papers available on masks in one tradition, W. Africa) hold a space separate from modern sculpture-paintings like El Anatsui’s enormous hangings [link to 2 videos that show this juxtaposition][refer to hanging at the DeYoung?” What happens when we hear about an artist’s work in their own words, for example when El Anatsui explains his influences, process, workshop collaborations, and travel to shows [[See El Anatsui Art 21 video|El Anatsui Art 21 video]]. When we see where this artist lives in modern-day Nigeria, or listen to Nandipha Mntambo, raised in Swaziland, and now resident in Johannesberg, discuss her iconic work with tanning and shaping entire cowhides (see online [[video|Nandipha Mntambo video]], or visit display case to see photos of her work), what judgments will we form about the role of the contemporary artist in the art world. What is the connection between the ritual objects, traditional carvings, and the modern pieces by artists who live in an international art world, such as South African photographer [[Zanele Muholi]]? How have modern artists reinvented gender, nation, ethnic affiliation? [[more|6]] <<back>>

As recently as the 20th century, indigenous arts from locations outside the European context were sometimes labeled primitive, or exotic, indicating their location as separate from, or the ‘other,’ and often inferior to, the arts, artifacts, and ritual objects of the western canon. While these colonial-era terms have not flourished, the history of these messages persists in the modern consciousness. Films and other media, like the animated video Madagascar, [[Escape 2 Africa]] -- widely popular and commercially available, may embed the academically discarded notions of the primitive, and barbarism, in slapstick humor for an new variety of stereotypes that perpetuate the notion of Africa as a ‘dark’ and mysterious place to the modern audience. In the video, the New York City zoo-based animals are thoroughly American, mistakenly exiled to unnamed, dangerous African shores. On the other hand, recent animation work from France, whose author lived during his childhood in Guinea, [[Kirikou and the Wild Beasts]], in French disrupts the primitive reference with a pint-sized hero who solves the intractable problems of his industrious and peaceful community. Kirikou tricks, and defeats, evil robots whose heads resemble traditional, [[identifiable mask shapes|Typology of African Masks Handout Part 1]], in a clever re-invention and paradigm shift at the same time. See also [[student paper|Wik To Ricco Lam]]; and see display case in library. As we close, we consider an alternative set of images, imaginative stories, and possibilities for contemporary art. The South African animation studio’s Khumba Watch [[Khumba excerpt: Springboks]], about a zebra’s brush with commercial exploitation, the South African cow hide sculptor and multi-media artist Nandipha Mntambo’s vision of our existence, the Sudanese painter El Salahi’s half-century of imaginative, Islam and Arab-inspired work, guide students to imagine how stereotyped images are being replaced by a diasporic consciousness, one that disrupts the reductive labeling of Africa and its peoples. [[Experience African Art]] <<back>>

Ricco explores the cosmology of the Yoruba peoples (southwestern Nigeria, Benin, Togo) as he investigates its expression in performative masquerade, specifically the Gelede masquerade celebrating women’s contributions to the community. <h3>Yoruba Masquerades and the Yoruba</h3> Author: Wik To Ricco Lam When the word “Masquerade” comes to mind, we imagine that people wearing masks with fur and gems participate in a Masquerade party in a ballroom in around 17th century. And in the modern context, it will be a nostalgic theme party that people wear mask bought from Amazon or Target, enjoy some drinks and have interesting conversation with friends in a lovely evening. Under these circumstances, masks are toys and merchandizes for an entertaining party that people do not treat it seriously. However, on another side of the world, masks are crucial art form and cultural objects in their culture throughout centuries. People in Africa treat masks as symbols of their ancestors, mythical heroes and deities. Among the African ethic groups, the Yoruba people are one of the most who truly pursue the traditional masquerades practices. For the Yoruba, masquerades are indispensible part in their culture as crucial religious practices, long- history tradition, artistic events as well as social activities that brings people together to gather, celebrate and commemorate. Orisas reappear in the world through the dances and performances of maskers in different masquerades. This power is called life force (Ase). It is similar to the “force” that Jedi knights often mentioned in the Star Wars movies. According to the book Yoruba:Nine Centuries of African Art and Thought, it defined Ase as “given by Olddumare to everything—gods, ancestors, spirits, humans, animals, plants, rocks, rivers, and voiced words such as songs, prayers, praises, curses, or even everyday conversation.” (Drewal 16) The existence of Yoruba people depends on Ase, the power of making things happen and change. Therefore, it is the reason of people seeking help from Orun, the origin of Ase. The significance of Egungun and other masquerades offer time and place for people to express their love to their ancestors and connect to them. Moreover, the spirit of passing on from one generation to the other is precious. The mask maker Adeola concentrated on imitating and studying his great grandfather’s masks and finally made him to become a sophisticated master. People might say the religious belief and traditions are outdated and superstitious. However, owing to these “old-fashioned” ways of thinking, it keeps the Yoruba traditions, as they continue to pass on this beautiful craftsmanship to today. [img[media/YorubaCosmosRiccoExcerpt.png]] <img src="http://www.actaonline.org/sites/default/files/images/image_galleries/la_commons6.jpg" width="500" alt="Gelede mask performer"> Gelede mask performer and grass dancer in the park, Leimert Park. Photo credit Heather Hoggan Read an excerpt from Justin Chin's [[Tingatinga Art]] <<back>>

<img src="media/topologyofmasks01.png" width="700"> see the [[Basic Forms|Typology of African Masks Basic Forms]] <<back>>

<img src="media/topologyofmasks02.png" width="700"> see [[Eye Forms|Typology of Masks Eye Forms]] <<back>>

<img src="media/topologyofmasks04.png" width="700"> go back to [[What texts are used?]] see the research paper [[assignment that came next|Research Papers]] check out [[student's paper on masks excerpt|Wik To Ricco Lam]] <<back>>

<img src="media/topologyofmasks03.png" width="700"> see [[Materials|Typology of African Masks Materials]] <<back>>

<h3>Basic Forms, Types, and Stylistic Groupings</h3> <P align=right>see the [[Special Forms|Special Forms]]</P> <img src="media/Mask01.jpg" width="200"> 1. Face mask: Dan, Liberia <img src="media/Mask02.jpg" width="200"> 2. Helmet mask: Basa, Liberia <img src="media/Mask03.jpg" width="200"> 3. Helmet crest: Diola, Senegal <img src="media/Mask04.jpg" width="200"> 4. Capcrest or forehead mask: Guro, Ivory Coast <img src="media/Mask05.jpg" width="200"> 5. Headdress mask: Bamana, Mali <<back>>

Justin’s research paper explores the 20th century art style and legacy of a Tanzanian painter who embraced the everyday in his work. <h3>Tingatinga Art</h3> Author: Justin Chin Edward Saidi Tingatinga was born in Southern Tanzania near the remote villages of Nakapanya and Mindu. Despite his later life artistic contributions on Tanzania, Tingatinga’s early life was not so much focused on art. He grew up in poverty and was often preoccupied with pursuing jobs out of survival needs. Some of his early jobs included being a domestic servant and nursing assistant. Even through all this, he was still motivated to learning the artistic traditions of East Africa. In his spare time, he would practice music, embroidery, weaving, and house painting. He was born with the mental desire for creativity and was always looking for new ways to express his mind. Fortuitously, in 1961, Tingatinga’s whole life changed. Tanzania had gained its independence from British rule and it gave a new sense of inspiration for Tingatinga. Tanzania’s independence brought painters from Zaire (now known as the Democratic Republic of Congo) and they sold paintings on the streets of Dar es Salaam. This event was one of the biggest influences that inspired Tingatinga to take on painting more seriously as a career choice. As a result, he instilled his own unique style that the world had never seen before, and thus Tingatinga art was born. Heavily influenced by the Makonde and Swahili cultures in Eastern Africa, Tingatinga art can be defined as painting on Masonite using bicycle paint. The overall image of Tingatinga art is described as very vibrant with bright contrasting colors that bring out the objects and shapes within the painting. The smallest pieces can be as small as ceramic tiles while the largest ones can be as big as sofas. The earliest Tingatinga art was uncomplicated and simple but it also held a simple message. That message was to visually describe the everyday scenery of Tanzania. Edward Tingatinga painted much of Tanzania's wildlife and it usually consisted of only one or two animals. Tingatinga wanted to showcase Tanzania and the simple life that the Tanzanian people experienced every day. He especially enjoyed painting the animals that themed around "the big five": the elephant, lion, giraffe, hippo, and antelope. This simple idea made Tingatinga art widely accepted, as it was original in design, had a down to earth message, and was fairly inexpensive. <<back>>

See also display case in the library to your right. <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ywSWHmAOHQY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> <<back>>

<h3>STEREOTYPES AND IMAGES: AFRICAN ART</h3> <b>Overview: Perspectives</b> <ul> <li>Is art from Africa presented as “anonymous”?</li> <li>Are artists represented as speaking in their own voices, or through a western intermediary?</li> <li>Is art from Africa located in its social, cultural, political, historical/art historical or geographical context?</li> <li>Do contemporary artists from Africa/the diaspora view their art as adhering to formal African traditional, national, regional, or other, e.g. internationalist, discourses?</li> </ul> <b>Criteria for Assessment</b> (Source: Africa Access www.africaacessreview.org) <ul> <li>Is Africa characterized as a country rather than a continent?</li> <li>Is North Africa treated as though it is not part of Africa?</li> <li>Is the focus primarily on the lifestyle of small, atypical groups (e.g, San, Masai)?</li> <li>Are the illustrations representative and non-stereotypical? Is diversity shown and described (e.g., rural/urban; wealthy/middle class; rich/poor; farmers/business-merchants)?</li> <li>Is there a balance between information on men and women (ed.: other gender identities, discussion of gender/sexuality norms)? Are the problems that African women (ed.: any gender/sexuality/gender identity) face placed in global contexts and accurately described?</li> <li>Is history presented in chronological stages beginning with the early and ancient times, or is the primary focus on the colonial period and the actions of Europeans in Africa?</li> <li>Are offensive, inaccurate, or biased terms used?</li> <ul> <li>Inaccurate/offensive terms: native, hut, jungle, witch doctor, dialect, primitive, warlike, uncivilized, pagan, tribe.</li> <li>Inaccurate/offensive names for groups: Bantu (correct: Bantu-speaking); Pygmy (correct: Mbuti); Bushmen (correct: San, or hunter-gatherers); Hottentot (correct: Khoikhoi).</li> <li>Words reflecting Western bias: developing, underdeveloped, civilized, emerging, backward, non-white, non-Western, Black African, communist.</li> </ul> <<back>>

<img src="http://africa.isp.msu.edu/afrlang/images/AfricanLangs.jpg" width="400" alt="Language Map of Africa, courtesy of Michigan State university, African Studies Center, Department of Language and Linguistics"> Language Map of Africa, courtesy of Michigan State university, African Studies Center, Department of Language and Linguistics <<back>>

<h4>Reflections on teaching African Art at California College of the Arts</h4> In the beginning of the [[course|Course Description]], students in African Art ask the question, “What is African Art?” We want to know whether African art is defined by people in Africa or the diaspora [[Map of Africa]]. Is African art from traditional societies, comprised of ritual figures, traditional carvings and objects prized by collectors and museums in societies that colonized Africa, or from contemporary artists, working in modern spaces and exhibiting in galleries, museums, and shown throughout the world, including Africa? Significantly, we must also ask “Who are African artists? How do they define themselves? How do they identify themselves and their work?” [[continue|2]]

[img[African Masks|media/africanmasks01.png]] [img[African Masks|media/africanmasks02.png]] [img[African Masks|media/africanmasks03.png]] [img[African Masks|media/africanmasks04.jpg]] <caption>Iris Hahner, Maria Kecskési, and László Vajda. <i>African Masks: The Barbier-Mueller Collection.</i> Munich: Prestel, 2007.</caption> Students new to the study of performed art and ritual in African societies welcome the typology of African masks offered in this text. Knowing the shapes, materials, and cultures associated with various masks helps students focus on the formal attributes of the masquerade materials. Next, see an example of a Yoruban ceremonial [[mask|dynasty and divinity]] from Nigeria/Republic of Benin. <<back>> back to [[Map of Africa|Map of Africa for Experience African Art]]

[img[Zanele Muholi|media/zanelemuholi1.jpg]] [img[Zanele Muholi|media/zanelemuholi2.jpg]] <caption><i>Zanele Muholi: Faces and Phases.</i> Munich: Prestel, 2010</caption> Large prints of Muholi’s photographs appeared in Yerba Buena/SFMOMA’s “Public Intimacies” exhibit in 2013. Muholi’s compelling black and white photographs offer “an insider’s perspective. . . of the black queers” she has encountered. She asks: “what does an African lesbian look like? Is there a lesbian aesthetic or do we express our gendered, racialized and classed selves in rich and diverse ways? Is this lesbian more ‘authentic’ that that lesbian. . .? Can you identify a rape survivor by the clothes she wears?” Muholi directly addresses gender diversity and violence in contemporary society through her art. See images of [[African masks]] from the Bobo/BWA and Tusyan of Burkina Faso; the Baga of Guinea; the Sunofo of the Ivory Coast; and the Katoko from Angola <<back>> back to [[Map of Africa|Map of Africa for Experience African Art]]

[img[mask from Dynasty and Divinity Book|media/dynastyanddivinity2.jpg]] <caption>Henry John Drewal and Enid Schildkrout. <i>Dynasty and Divinity: Ife Art in Ancient Nigeria.</i> New York: Museum for African Art, 2009</caption> The usual environment in the West for an initial viewing of a physical mask, from a specific society in Africa, is the museum, where it is seen as an individual sculpture, or object. Lacking context, such as a video or still photos, beyond a museum label, students benefit from learning more about the cosmology and art of a particular society—here, the Yoruba, of Nigeria and the Republic of Benin. The image of an Egungun masquerader [see display case] demonstrates the integrated costume design of mask, beadwork, textiles, and reinforces the performance aspect of masquerade art. Now, take a look [[Ndebele|long tears]], a South African contemporary mural artist family. <<back>> back to [[Map of Africa|Map of Africa for Experience African Art]]

[img[A Painting of Ibrahim El-Salahi|media/ibrahimel-salahi1.jpg]] [img[A Painting of Ibrahim El-Salahi|media/ibrahimel-salahi2.jpg]] <caption>Salah M. Hassan, ed. <i>Ibrahim El-Salahi: A Visionary Modernist.</i> New York: Museum for African Art, 2012.</caption> Ibrahim El Salahi is a prolific artist, a painter in the Khartoum School, writer, and former political prisoner who has also held a government post in his country of origin, Sudan. His work ranges from Arabic and Islamic motif, to abstract art. Now residing in Oxford, Great Britain, he continues to exhibit; in 2013 he had a restrospective at the Tate Modern museum in London. See two [[photos|Zanele Muholi photos]] by contemporary South African lesbian photographer Zanele Muholi. <<back>> back to [[Map of Africa|Map of Africa for Experience African Art]]

[img[Nandipha Mntambo|media/nandiphamntambo1.jpg]] [img[Nandipha Mntambo|media/nandiphamntambo2.jpg]] <caption>Ruth Simbao and David Elliott. <i>Nandipha Mntambo.</i> Cape Town: Stevenson, 2011.</caption> Born in Swaziland, contemporary South African performance artist Mntambo works in a variety of media, and across performance platforms, to explore our close connection to animals. She began as a chemist, and so enjoys creating her material—cowhide—which she shapes into sculptures, such as Mlwa ne Nkunzi (Mntambo in display case). Additionally she’s created and danced in Paso Doble (2011) [link to Ntambo video], and became the trio of bull, bullfighter, and audience in Ukungenisa (2009), a short video exploring the formal expression of her research on bullfighting in Portugal. She observes, “I think what I find interesting is the fighter, the bull, and the audience share feelings of being afraid, of needing to perform, of an expectation of some kind—of a spectacle.” See two modernist-influenced paintings by contemporary artist [[Ibrahim El-Salahi|Ibrahim El-Salahi paintings]]. <<back>> back to [[Map of Africa|Map of Africa for Experience African Art]]

[img[The Long Tears, video-cover image|media/thelongtears.jpg]] <caption><i>The Long Tears—An Ndebele Story.</i> Shadow Films, 1998</caption> In this South African film, and Ndebele family discusses their mural art and the history of displacement of their community. The video highlights for jewelry, textile, and design students the intricate beadwork and metal adornment worn by women; note the cap, apron, leg and neck ornaments a celebrant (cover). See a photo and drawings from a performance by contemporary South African artist [[Nandipha Mntambo]]. <<back>> back to [[Map of Africa|Map of Africa for Experience African Art]]

[img[Map of Africa|media/AfricanMapfilled-out.png]] A snapshot of the continent of Africa, with its 50+ countries. Credit: By Andreas 06 (Own work), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Now that you know where you are, would you like to see images of [[African masks]] from the Bobo/BWA and Tusyan of Burkina Faso; the Baga of Guinea; the Sunofo of the Ivory Coast; and the Katoko from Angola, or a photo and drawings from a performance by contemporary South African artist [[Nandipha Mntambo]]? <<back>>