Exhibition Explores Multiple Cultures and 500 Years of History with Art Honoring the Essential, Sacred Nature of Water
The First Art Newspaper on the Net    Established in 1996 Sunday, October 13, 2024


Exhibition Explores Multiple Cultures and 500 Years of History with Art Honoring the Essential, Sacred Nature of Water
Moyo Ogundipe (b. 1948, Ijesha-Ishu, Nigeria; active Denver, Colorado), “Mami Wata,” 1999. Acrylic on canvas. Collection of Chike Obianwu. Photo by Don Cole.



STANFORD, CA.- Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University presents “Mami Wata: Arts for Water Spirits in Africa and Its Diasporas,” August 4, 2010 through January 2, 2011. This exhibition explores 500 years of visual cultures and histories of the water deity widely known as Mami Wata (“Mother Water”) through the diverse array of traditional and contemporary arts surrounding her — sculpture, paintings, masks, altars, and more from west and central Africa, the Caribbean, Brazil, and the United States.

Beautiful and seductive, protective yet dangerous, Mami Wata is celebrated throughout much of Africa and the African Atlantic world. Often portrayed as a mermaid, a snake charmer, or a combination of both, she and a “school” of related African water spirits all honor the essential, sacred nature of water. With 100 works portraying Mami Wata, the exhibition introduces the water spirit’s iconic persona, then reveals a widespread presence and popularity of this water spirit in religious and artistic practices around the world, and finally concludes with Mami Wata as artists’ muse today.

This exhibition was organized and produced by the Fowler Museum at UCLA and guest curated by Henry Drewal, Ph.D., who is professor of Art History and Afro-American Studies, University of Wisconsin. Drewal presents a lecture about Mami Wata and the exhibition on October 28 at 6:00 pm. The exhibition debuted at the Fowler Museum, then traveled to the Chazen Museum of Art, University of Wisconsin, Madison, and the National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. The Cantor Arts Center presents the exhibition’s final viewing.





Cantor Arts Center | Mami Wata | Henry Drewal |





Today's News

August 4, 2010

Archaeologists Find Tunnel Below the Temple of the Feathered Serpent in Teotihuacan

Phillips de Pury & Company Announces Latin American Art Sale

AGO to Exhibit the Work of Eva Hesse, Betty Goodwin and Agnes Martin

Century-Old Tower in Massachusetts Marks Mayflower's First Landing

Christie's Announces Worldwide Sales of $2.57 Billion for First Half of 2010

New York City Art Dealer Who Bilked Stars Gets Prison Time

80 National and International Galleries Exhibit at the Melbourne Art Fair

More than 90,000 Persons have Visited Moctezuma II Exhibition

'American Gothic' Public Art Sculpture to Tower Over Other Exhibits at State Fair

Steven Shearer to Represent Canada at the 54th International Art Exhibition

From Your Kitchen to Michigan Avenue: Refrigerators and Art Converge

Rare Bronze Horned-Bracelet, 3,500 Years Old, Found in Israel

SFMOMA Elects New Members to Board of Trustees, Salutes Three Staff Members

Two Mexican Sites Inscribed in UNESCO World Heritage List

Scientists Say Gulf Diversity Threatened Even Before Oil Spill

Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics Says the Sun will Wake Up

Celebrated Scottish Women Artists Star in Bonhams Scottish Sale

Exhibition Explores Multiple Cultures and 500 Years of History with Art Honoring the Essential, Sacred Nature of Water

Advice on Protecting Fine Art Against High Temperatures

Set Your Place with Picasso Plates at Bonhams' First Ever Editions Sale

Over Half a Million Visit Record-Breaking 17th Biennale of Sydney

Getty Announces Cast for Outdoor Theater Production of Sophocles' Elektra

A Jaunty Stroll Through (Art) History: The Hudson River School Art Trail

Affordable Art Fair NYC Launching First Annual Fall Fair

Double Celebration At The Bowes Museum

Amsterdam Canal District Named UNESCO World Heritage Site




Museums, Exhibits, Artists, Milestones, Digital Art, Architecture, Photography,
Photographers, Special Photos, Special Reports, Featured Stories, Auctions, Art Fairs,
Anecdotes, Art Quiz, Education, Mythology, 3D Images, Last Week, .

 



Founder:
Ignacio Villarreal
(1941 - 2019)
Editor & Publisher: Jose Villarreal
Art Director: Juan José Sepúlveda Ramírez
Writer: Ofelia Zurbia Betancourt

Royalville Communications, Inc
produces:

ignaciovillarreal.org juncodelavega.com facundocabral-elfinal.org
Founder's Site. Hommage
to a Mexican poet.
Hommage
       

The First Art Newspaper on the Net. The Best Versions Of Ave Maria Song Junco de la Vega Site Ignacio Villarreal Site
Tell a Friend
Dear User, please complete the form below in order to recommend the Artdaily newsletter to someone you know.
Please complete all fields marked *.
Sending Mail
Sending Successful