The arts of Africa are as diverse in appearance, material, and purpose as the peoples of the continent that created them. The works in the collection include body adornments, masks with bright paint and raffia, small figures of wood and ivory, bronzes, beaded crowns, and stools. African artists create dynamic, original, and imaginative pieces from materials available locally and brought from a distance.

In the past Asante weavers took imported Asian silks, picked apart the cloth, and rewove it into multicolored kente cloth. Currently weavers use whatever fibers are commercially available, from polyesters to silk. Ndebele women make bright bands of imported beads that when worn, signify their marital state. Kuba men weave elegant textiles from Raffia fibers that are often grown in the weaver’s yard.

African artworks also reflect a broad range of political structures and belief systems. A bronze plaque from the Benin kingdom, formerly nailed to a palace wall, depicts a titled court official. Objects used in the divination process, like a Yoruba ifa tray, represent people’s desire to commune with ancestors and gods. Ritual figures used by Namchi women to encourage pregnancy reveal the importance of family.