Though I am no longer teaching, I continue to guest lecture in various History of Art and Museum Studies courses. Here is a list of several courses I taught prior to retiring in 2021.
The Future of Africa’s Past: Material Culture, History and Heritage
What do we know about Africa’s past and how do we know it? One of the most important sources of insight concerning the history of Africa, especially its precolonial past, comes from studying artifacts—things that people made and used, and that have survived the test of time. The Future of Africa’s Past examines the material culture of African societies as historical “documents,” as evidence of the social, political, religious, and economic processes that shaped these societies. In addition to thinking about the significance of these things in the past, the course considers what they mean in the present. What roles do historical artifacts and sites play in shaping the contemporary societies with which they are associated? Employing the interpretive methods of art history, archaeology, history, and critical heritage studies the course explores the ideologies that have transformed artifacts into art, how these material objects have been given new meanings, new value, and how they circulate in global contexts. Attention is given to the ethical concerns associated with collecting and exhibiting other peoples’ cultures, as well as to the political and economic dynamics of interpreting the past as heritage.
Exhibiting Africa: Museum Representation of a Continent
What are the cultural forces that have driven the collecting and display of Africa—its animals, its peoples, and the things that people make—in the museums of Europe, North America and Africa? Exhibiting Africa examines the social, political, economic and aesthetic ideologies that have shaped the interpretation of the continent in a variety of exhibitionary contexts, including expositions, natural history museums, ethnology museums, art museums, zoos and theme parks. The course focuses primarily on sub-Saharan Africa and has several threads. The first considers the history of museum representation in the West—practices associated with Europe’s early encounters with Africa in the sixteenth-eighteenth centuries, the systematic collecting and display informed by Darwinian evolutionary theory during nineteenth century, and the “discovery” of African art at the turn of the twentieth century. The second examines museums in Africa—indigenous analogues for the museum, museum legacies from the colonial period, and post-independence models for the museum that are grounded in the needs of local communities and the agendas of young nation states. A third considers contemporary exhibitionary practice in and out of Africa—museum representation in a postcolonial and postmodern world. A final thread considers the ethical and legal challenges surrounding issues of restitution and repatriation—returning heritage objects that were acquired in Africa under problematic circumstances.
Introduction to African Art: 100 Objects
This course offers an introduction to the rich and varied visual practices of Africa. We begin by considering the images of Africa with which we, in America, are familiar, and how these images communicate what (we think) we know about Africa. What ideas come to mind when we encounter places like The Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World? Or view music videos like Taylor Swift’s ‘Wildest Dreams’? While these may seem benign and entertaining experiences, they, in fact, evoke an incomplete and distorted understanding of the continent. Throughout the semester, we will confront these stereotypes through an examination of 100 compelling objects representing a variety of visual practices, both historical and contemporary. For example, studying Southern African rock art (ca. 26,000 BCE) or Kuba royal sculptures (17th century CE), offer evidence of a continent with a history, thus countering the idea that African societies are ‘frozen in time’ and that their ‘traditions’ never change. The contemporary work of artists based in Africa’s cities whose paintings, sculptures, and installations can be seen in museums worldwide, demonstrate the global impact of a continent that is often dismissed as contributing little to the modern world.
Museum Work / Critical Practice
The museum is a complex institution that deploys a range of social, political, economic and cultural strategies to achieve its mission—strategies that draw upon the expertise of individuals associated with a number of intellectual and technical disciplines. Museum Work examines the multiple domains of knowledge that coalesce and contribute to the collaborative dynamics of the contemporary museum. In other words, the course considers the theory and practice of museum work; the work undertaken by curators, exhibition designers, educators, conservators, collection managers, development specialists and administrators. We compare the work of these professionals in various settings, specifically in art, natural history, history and science museums, as well as botanical gardens and arboreta. Our exploration of the museum will emphasize the thinking that informs professional practice. The course seeks an understanding of the museum as a collaborative multidisciplinary work environment that can encourage interdisciplinary thinking that, in turn, can foster innovative solutions to the multifaceted challenges that face today’s museums. At the core of our exploration is the concept of reflective critical practice; the ability to think about one’s own practice as well as that of others, to formulate and address critical questions that inform museum work.
