Spirits in Steel: The Art of the Kalabari Masquerade (Exhibition)
Dates
- Existence: 1998 April 25 - 1999 January 30
Summary
Abstract:
Exhibition. Opened in April 25, 1998 and closed January 30, 1999. Located in Section 1A, Floor 1 in Gallery 77 at the American Museum of Natural History. "Spirits in Steel: The Art of the Kalabari Masquerade" was an exhibition devoted to the work of artist Sokari Douglas Camp and featured thirteen life-size steel sculptures drawing on themes from the artist's homeland in Nigeria.
Description
"Spirits in Steel: The Art of the Kalabari Masquerade" was an exhibition devoted to the work of artist Sokari Douglas Camp and featured thirteen life-size steel sculptures drawing on themes from the artist's homeland in Nigeria. Based on traditional masquerades of the Kalabari peoples of the Eastern Niger Delta, the sculptures captured the movement and meaning of the Water-Spirit Masquerade, a festival procession featuring the guardian spirits of the Kalabari people. The exhibit also included more than twenty-five African Masks from the collections of the American Museum of Natural History and the British Museum, as well as a rare Kalabari funerary screen. Three videos, made by Sokari and filmmaker Jane Thorburn, and a selection of photographs, which were taken by the artist as she observed masqueraders donning their costumes, depict how the masquerade invokes the water spirits of the Niger Delta. The exhibit was organized by Enid Schildkrout, chair and curator, Department of Anthropology, American Museum of Natural History. Made possible through the support of the Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Endowment Fund, the exhibit was on view in Gallery 77 on the first floor of the American Museum of Natural History from April 25, 1998 through January 30, 1999.
Individuals and institutions involved in the creation of the exhibition: Enid Schildkrout; Jane Thorburn.
REFERENCES
American Museum of Natural History Press Release, April 1998. Departmental Records, 101; American Museum of Natural History Library Archives. American Museum of Natural History Press Release: Fact Sheet, May 1998. Departmental Records, 101; American Museum of Natural History Library Archives.
American Museum of Natural History Press Releases: Advance Schedule of Exhibitions and Special Programs, August 1997 and June 1998. Departmental Records, 101; American Museum of Natural History Library Archives.
American Museum of Natural History Press Release: Recent Exhibitions at AMNH, April 2001. Departmental Records, 101; American Museum of Natural History Library Archives.
Places
-
New York (N.Y.)
- Note: AMNH, Section 1A, Floor 1, Gallery 77
Topics
Found in 1 Collection or Record:
Spirits in Steel: The Art of the Kalabari Masquerade, 1998
Audiovisual material created for the AMNH exhibition, "Spirits in Steel: The Art of the Kalabari Masqerade," held from April 25, 1998 to January 30, 1999. There is one VHS screener, Sokari Douglas Camp video, edited introduction, copy.