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The
majority of items in the collection were made to function within
the bounds of religious and political ceremony. Ornamented stools
indicate political office and rank, while masks link the world of
the living with the spirits of the world beyond. Wooden effigies
and zoomorphic figures can honor the dead by summoning spirits, which
protect communities from malevolent events or otherwise serve as
instruments of social control and symbols of male power.
The African art object has often been presented in Western museums within the
framework of tradition, but the same piece and its meaning can also be seen to
be in a perpetual state of transition. As a work passes through time from individual
to individual and from culture to culture, it is drained of its traditional meanings,
only to be imbued with new ones that make it relevant to its present audience.
Against this backdrop, WCMA has set out to enable its audiences to better appreciate
the complex diversity and creativity of African artists, past and present. Through
study of African objects, students can explore the art and religion, philosophy,
politics, and history of a given civilization.
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Please call WCMA to see when these works of art
will be on view.
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