African Art Museum

I attended last Friday's event at the African Art Museum, and I'm seriously impressed with the museum. For starters, the event was free, and included two free drinks and food — spicy chicken skewers, shrimp, cheese, etc. They also raffled off signed Marcus Samuelson cookbooks and Liz and I each came away with one.

The museum seemed to be more accessible to visitors than some of the other Smithsonians — there are feedback forms encouraging comments about the museum and the exhibits, and the brochures for children are really informative. The brochures for adults are beautiful, and while I didn't go into the store, it seemed to be more reflective of the art on display than in other museum shops.

The "Body of Evidence" exhibit was the highlight, with contemporary representations of how African artists consider the human body. A standout piece is Kay Hassan's "First Time Voters," a lush collage depicting the first multiracial elections held in South Africa after the repeal of Apartheid laws in 1994. The 11 figures in the piece are of varying races, and the piece, with one dark side and one light side, simultaneously both bridges the inequalities that formerly plagued the country and the promise of a fair government, while also recognizing the difficulties this new government would face.

Kay Hassan
First Time Voters
1994-95
Paper, glue, staples
96-32-1, museum purchase
©1994-95 Kay Hassan