African beadwork exhibition now open at the Harn

November 14, 2008

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — For centuries, African beadwork has “spoken” in a visually coded language to convey thoughts about personal relationships, family ties, wealth, religious beliefs, and social and political standing. “Between the Beads: Reading African Beadwork” is an exploration of this practice. The exhibit will be on display until spring 2009.

The exhibition illuminates the historical and cultural contexts of bead use, meaning and production, showing how beads of many materials, colors, sizes and shapes have embellished the human body and have been used in sculptural displays.

Showcasing approximately 100 works, “Between the Beads” includes personal adornment, masks and sculpture by the Yoruba, Asante, Ndebele and Zulu peoples, among others. Works on display date from the 7th century through the 20th century and were drawn from private collections and the museum’s extensive collection of African art.

The exhibition is the result of collaboration between Susan Cooksey, curator of African art, and Victoria Rovine, assistant professor of art history at the University of Florida. Students in Rovine’s Clothing and Textiles in Africa class conducted research about the objects in the exhibition. Their interpretive text will be featured in the museum wall panels in the exhibition and also on the exhibition Web site at www.harn.ufl.edu/beadwork. The Web site was developed in association with the University of Florida Digital Library Center; Lourdes Santamaria-Wheeler, digital production supervisor; Katerie Gladdys, assistant professor of digital media; and Katherine McGonigle, digital media graduate student and Harn Museum intern.

“This exhibition presented an opportunity for the museum to weave itself into the academic fabric of the university,” said Cooksey. “We are proud of the museum’s partnerships with University of Florida faculty and students, which bring more depth and a different perspective to the exhibitions.”

Cooksey, who organized the exhibition, will present a gallery talk at 3 p.m. on Dec. 7, decoding the meanings of the works on display.

The exhibition is made possible by a gift from a generous donor with additional support from the Madelyn M. Lockhart Endowment for Focus Exhibitions.

Admission to the Harn Museum of Art is free. For more information call 352-392-9826 or visit www.harn.ufl.edu. Additional information about the exhibition can be found at www.harn.ufl.edu/beadwork.