From Sept. 25 to Feb. 5, the Baltimore Museum of Art's exhibit Hand Held: Personal Arts from Africa will display various art pieces created by African artists during the 19th and 20th centuries.
The exhibit is fit into only two rooms but displays a wide array of 80 African art pieces.
They are truly unique in that they merge artistry with utility.
The exhibit showcases various seats, vessels, blankets, wrappers, combs, hats and other objects that had a practical use.
They represent 21 African countries and draw on pieces from the Baltimore Museum of Art's current African collection as well as several recent acquisitions that are being displayed for the first time.
Upon entering the exhibit, a strange hat that almost resembles a wig, catches one's eye.
When more closely examined it can be seen that the hat is adorned with clam shells, arcs of seedpods and mussel shells.
Dangling plaited-fiber tendrils on either side give it the feel of women's hair. The hat was used to mark the rank and status of a man initiated into the Bwami association of the Lega communities.
Within this association there are five grades and associated sub-grades with which one earns the right to wear certain hats to represent their level. This particular hat was for those of the fifth level and the highest grade, the kindi.
If one ventures farther into the first room, they come upon a very interesting display of combs and hairpins.
They are crafted from wood, iron, bronze and ivory and were used primarily for grooming.
This being said, men often presented them to the women they loved as gifts and their artistic nature made it possible for them to demonstrate a variety of symbolic motifs.
One large, prominent comb in the display is thought to have been a comb gifted to a woman since it shows an embracing couple.
Above the couple is the Golden Stool, which symbolizes the Asante Kingdom.
The comb also has "Sankofa" birds carved into its surface with their heads turned backwards referring to the proverb "move forward by learning from the past." Two crosses in both upper corners show that the couple is Christian.
Finally, there is a rifle, a sword and two linked hearts, which may suggest either male protection or the inscribed adage, translated from Twi, "love is death."
Within the case there are mortars for grinding tobacco leaves into snuff, pipes for smoking and containers for storage. Like all the other pieces in this exhibit, the tools used in everyday life are beautifully decorated. These particular pieces were sought out and owned by male and female leaders and elders as well as wealthy and well-connected individuals.
The corner of the second room is entirely dedicated to shaping vessels. These vessels, primarily owned by women, were used to contain, transport and serve water, milk, grain, beer, oils and supplies for preparing meals. They came in a variety of forms, surfaces and decorations that helped make them very aesthetically pleasing. Women artists used hand-coiling techniques to create ceramic and basketry items. They used earth and natural fibers.
An important aspect of a bride's dowry was three of these containers; the Gurage basketry table, Borana milk container and the Baga rice container. These were important metaphors for a bride's industriousness and fertility, while also serving to establish a home for her and her groom.
The second room also plays host to a wide array of chairs. However, they do not fit the typical structure that one associates with chairs nowadays. These are very small, portable, close to the ground and carved with a single piece of wood.
They were a very important symbol of leadership either within one's own family or the broader political community. These chairs were highly personal and usually only the owner had access to them. The owner would carry their chair with them to visit others homes, go to the market or attend ceremonies.
Women, on the other hand, used them for a more domestic purpose. They would be seated when preparing food and washing clothes. These chairs were such a vital part of African life that they were sometimes placed on an owner's grave, inherited through generations, or even set within the family ancestral shrine.
The Baltimore Museum of Art is looking forward to the reinstallation of the African collection by 2014. It will also have many more fascinating objects and displays to showcase.
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