The year 2007 is significant for Africa and African artists as “[t]his is the first time a major exhibition of contemporary African art will be held in Africa” (Clive Kellner, curator of the Johannesburg Art Gallery, Africa Remix Exhibition Catalogue 2007:9). Africa Remix, an exhibition of 85 contemporary African artists from all regions of the continent and displaying a variety of skills and styles, provides and overview of contemporary art from Africa and the African diaspora in a single exhibition. Previous exhibitions of contemporary African art, namely Africa Explores (exhibited at New York’s Museum for African Art, 1991) and Seven Stories about African Art (exhibited at London’s Whitechapel Art Gallery, 1995) were never exhibited on the continent. After having toured Düsseldorf, London, Paris, Tokyo and Stockholm, Johannesburg is the last stop for Africa Remix and the only stop in Africa. It is important that Johannesburg managed to host this exhibition, both to show that Africa has the capacity and fortitude to host exhibitions of this scale, and for bringing the art of Africa to Africa. It has taken enormous efforts in fundraising to secure this opportunity. Yet, it also points to the lack of proper exhibition spaces both to host travelling exhibitions of this size and to provide a home for permanent collections of contemporary African art. Africa has long been subject to plundering of her riches: first through outright slavery, then through the exploitation of mineral reserves (often leading to concurrent exploitation of people), and in the contemporary world through the more subtle but potentially no less devastating “harvesting” (supported by the inherently unequal nature of global trade) of intellectual resources, such as items of cultural heritage, indigenous knowledge, and the production of scientists, writers, and artists. Africa needs to take the responsibility for making the most of what we have, here, before exporting it to the rest of the globe. Therefore, for art, there needs to be a gallery to support and exhibit the numerous collections of contemporary African art currently locked in storage. This will allow our art to be housed on the continent of its birth. Furthermore, a gallery such as this will contribute to cultural creation on the continent by the fact of its existence, providing space for and stimulating debate, performance and artistic production. This dissertation will therefore serve as an investigation into the interface between art and architecture. An alternative artspace to exhibit primarily but not exclusively contemporary African art is proposed for the city of Pretoria. The full text of this thesis/dissertation is not available online. Please <a href="mailto:upetd@up.ac.za?subject=UPeTD access required">contact us</a> if you need access. / Dissertation (MArch(Prof))--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Architecture / unrestricted

Thesis (Ed.D)--Teachers College, Columbia University, l988. / Typescript; issued also on microfilm. Sponsor: Justin Schorr. Dissertation Committee: George Bond. Bibliography: leaves 223-230.

African art and spirituality are inseparable. Looking at it specifically from the visible, concrete, or tangible standpoint, the latter is nonexistent without the former, as the presence of the former validates the reality of the latter. The origin of this symbiotic relationship is in the Africans' ideology, in which they find it more convenient to establish communication with the transcendent or supernatural realm through visible devices that we label 'art'. Using the Ijumu Northeastern-Yoruba Egungun as a case study, this dissertation analyzes the place of art in African spirituality. Applying two conceptual frameworks--connective theory and linguistic approach, the dissertation first depicts this art as a reflection of African culture. Secondly, it reveals African art as essentially an assemblage or composite of diverse culturally defined and meaningful materials. Finally, it portrays art as a reliable form of historical and iconographical record of the African culture.In all, the dissertation comprises eight chapters. Chapter one introduces the reader to the research rationales, objectives, theory and methodology, and relevant previous studies. Chapter two concerns the place of art in Yoruba religious beliefs and practices within the larger context of African art and culture. Chapter three illustrates the inter-group relations in the Niger-Benue confluence region--the geographical location of the Ijumu Northeastern-Yoruba. Chapter four provides an overview of the cultural practices of the Ijumu people of the Ookun Yoruba-speaking groups. Chapter five focuses on the spirituality and performance contexts and the devotees' conceptualization of the Egungun as a religion.Chapter six is about iconographical interpretations of Egungun. Chapter seven illustrates the aesthetic implications with attention paid to the masquerade costumes as well as the performance contexts of the masquerades or masqueraders, drummers, singers, and more importantly, the aftermath of the ritual festival. Chapter eight is about critical perspectives on Ijumu-Yoruba Egungun within the larger context of the tradition among the entire Yoruba peoples. It highlights critical issues affecting the Egungun tradition today and the relevance of this dissertation to arresting their loss.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, History of Art, 2008. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on Jul 21, 2009). Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 69-10, Section: A, page: 3782. Adviser: Patrick R. McNaughton.

In 2010, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts accessioned a ritual gourd from Mambila peoples of Nigeria and Cameroon into their collection. Although ritual containers with similar configurations abound in different parts of the Cameroon Grasslands in Central Africa, the VMFA gourd presents particular difficulties due to the nature of its accumulation and the lack of scholarship on the Mambila peoples. Therefore, in this thesis, all the aspects of its accumulation have been considered in relation to the culture and belief system of the Mambila and their neighbors. Special attention has been paid to the interconnectedness of form, function, and meaning throughout the thesis in order to shed some light on the social, cosmic, and ritual significance of the gourd and its attachments.

No description available.

Thesis--Stanford University. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 170-183).

M.Tech. / My research investigates whether the notion of a Goddess is still relevant as a metaphor to contemporary feminist art, both globally and within a South African context. My hypothesis is that the debate between the first and second-generation feminists regarding the relevance of the Goddess to feminism is incomplete. Using critical literary analysis I examine the issues surrounding the debate, exemplified through an analysis of artworks by Ana Mendieta and Tracey Rose. A further aim of my research is to raise critical debate as to whether a multifaceted and contradictory Goddess, such as the Hindu goddess Kālī, is more relevant to the diversity of options suggested by both postmodernism and a multicultural South Africa. Evidence and interpretation of such an ambivalent Goddess is sought in the work of South African artists Claudette Schreuders and Diane Victor. Arguments from texts relevant to the artworks are critically examined, augmented in the case of Schreuders by an interview. The presence of an ambivalent Goddess is developed in my practical work through exploratory research. Assemblages of varying materials have been created to suggest a metaphorical Goddess. Discussion of these artworks reveals that both materials and concepts are inextricably linked and are intended to invite multiple interpretations. By exploring the issue of feminism in a South African context and adding to a general body of knowledge on South African artists, my research contributes to the University of Johannesburg’s niche area Visually Embodying Identity in a Postcolonial Environment.

This research project assesses the development, application and use of paper pulp as a medium for the production of three-dimensional figurative sculptures for application in the Phumani Paper Programme. The research was undertaken to assess the use of this medium with a view to finding ways of stimulating job creation, which would support community development. I chose to focus on the Hear Our Voice (HOV) programme because of its limited success in job creation for the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD). The HOV art programme is presented here as a case study, which includes its impact on the 2002 WSSD and links it to the poverty alleviation projects of Phumani Paper. The presentation of the outcomes of the WSSD demonstrate the viability of the study. The participation of all stakeholders on different levels has been incorporated into this research study. Participatory Action Research (PAR) design and methodology is applied to this research project. The research project is divided into two phases: the first, project implementation phase, and the second, research phase. The first phase discusses the involvement of participants in project implementation and the technical aspects of production. Using phase one documentation as a basis, the second phase focuses on the collection of appropriate research data and then on the analysis of this data. In the broad summary of the HOV programme, the challenges and failures of the project faced by disadvantaged communities are highlighted, along with the creative ways in which these challenges were met and, in some cases, continue to be met, by project participants. This research project considers the potential for sustained and sustainable poverty alleviation in the long term through the group participation and the creative use of waste material in order to produce and market good quality paper products. / Ms. K. Berman Dr. G. Mukuka

No description available.