Public Programs Calendar

Join us for an exciting day of viewing and doing: Start with a guided tour of the Museum of Craft and Folk Art's exhibition, Rhythm and Hues: Cloth and Culture of Mali, followed by a short walk to MoAD for some hands-on fun, West African style -- indigo dyeing and bogolonfini (mudcloth) making. Malian artist Barou Samaké will join us on May 1. Reserve your space by calling 415.227.4888 x10.

February 6 and May 1, 1pm - 4pm

In conjunction with the exhibition African Continuum: Sacred Rituals and Ceremonies please join us for the lecture Aesthetic of the Cool: The Art of Abatan

Lecture presentation with Dr. Robert Farris Thompson of his personal experience, supported by historical background, on the priestess and godmother who initiated him, her art, altar, and the impact of her aesthetic of the “cool,” shared by many Yoruba, who went to Haiti, Suriname, and New Orleans, and so many other places. Presented as part of the series, Migrations of the Sacred: Spiritual Practices Across the Diaspora.

Dr. Robert Farris Thompson is considered one of the world’s prominent authorities on African and Afro-Atlantic cultures. He is best known for having changed what the public understands about the use and context of African art, showing that art is inseparable from its maker, its use, its function, and its perception. He has published texts on the structure and meaning of African dance, African Art in Motion, and a reader on the art history of the Black Americas, “Flash of the Spirit: African and Afro-American Art and Philosophy,” in which he locates the sources of contemporary Black Atlantic aesthetic practices in a diversity of cultures over the world. Thompson has published the first international study of altars of the Black Atlantic world, “Face of the Gods”.

Once little known outside of Haiti, Vodou flags (drapo Vodou), dazzling in color and imagery, have become popular commodities in the international art market. Shimmering with sequins and reflected light, they capture the attention of Vodou practitioners and art lovers alike.

Participants in this workshop will learn about the history and culture of Haiti and how to make their own Applique Flags using techniques from Haitian drapo Vodou.

NO EXPERIENCE REQUIRED

Dates: May 1st

Workshop: $25 members/$30 general public.

All Materials provided.

Nkisi literally translates as "sacred medicine" in the Kongo language of Central Africa. The term Nkisi is the general name for a variety of objects used throughout the Congo Basin and are thought to contain spiritual powers used for healing and protection.

In this 3 day workshop, participants will learn needle felting techniques to create the structure for a felted Nkisi doll, as well as various methods to add decorative elements including healing charms and various African symbols in order to finish the Nkisi.

NO PRIOR EXPERIENCE NECESSARY

ALL MATERIALS PROVIDED

Workshop Series: $45/members $55/non-members

Individual Session: $20/member $30/non-member

Nkisi literally translates as "sacred medicine" in the Kongo language of Central Africa. The term Nkisi is the general name for a variety of objects used throughout the Congo Basin and are thought to contain spiritual powers used for healing and protection.

In this 3 day workshop, participants will learn needle felting techniques to create the structure for a felted Nkisi doll, as well as various methods to add decorative elements including healing charms and various African symbols in order to finish the Nkisi.

NO PRIOR EXPERIENCE NECESSARY

ALL MATERIALS PROVIDED

Workshop Series: $45/members $55/non-members

Individual Session: $20/member $30/non-member

Screening of two documentary films by Beheroze Shroff (University of California, Irvine, USA) which give insights into the roots of the Sidis (Afro-Indians) and their sense of belonging.

“We’re Indian and African”: Voices of the Sidis (22 minutes)

This film explores the lives of the Sidis in Gujarat. Sidi men and women speak about the challenges they face as caretakers of the shrine of their ancestral saint Bava Gor. The Sidis also discuss their sacred Goma-Dhammal dance performed for devotees and spectators. The film also gives a glimpse into the spiritual legacy of the Sidis through the Parsi devotees of Bava Gor in Bombay.

Voices of the Sidis: Ancestral Links (26 minutes)

In this engaging portrait of an urban Sidi family in Bombay (Maharashtra), Babubhai traces his ancestry to Zanzibar. He also reminisces about his work as a stuntman in Bollywood films. Babubhai’s wife, Fatimaben, narrates about her grandmother’s work in a Hindu royal court. Their daughter, Heena, speaks about issues of identity in contemporary India.

Crepe Covered Sidewalks is a riveting documentary of actress Renee’ Wilson’s return home to the devastation and desolation of New Orleans after hurricane Katrina, and the effects of the aftermath has on her and her family. It is a story of love, loss and rebirth, five years after the storm, through the eyes of an insider. 60-minute film screening, followed by Q & A, and a brief performance by Ms. Wilson. Introduction and Discussion led by Nikki Thomas of KBLX.

Renee Wilson is a New Orleans native who has performed in the stage production of Dreamgirls, portrayed Raylette Pat Lyle in the Academy Award winning film, Ray, and has recently released her first album, Voodoo Queen.

Admission: $10 Members/ $15 Non-Members.

Nkisi literally translates as "sacred medicine" in the Kongo language of Central Africa. The term Nkisi is the general name for a variety of objects used throughout the Congo Basin and are thought to contain spiritual powers used for healing and protection.

In this 3 day workshop, participants will learn needle felting techniques to create the structure for a felted Nkisi doll, as well as various methods to add decorative elements including healing charms and various African symbols in order to finish the Nkisi.

NO PRIOR EXPERIENCE NECESSARY

ALL MATERIALS PROVIDED

Workshop Series: $45/members $55/non-members

Individual Session: $20/member $30/non-member

Celebrate the unique history of the Cape Verde Islands through a brief, informal lecture by Cape Verde musicians, Ramiro and João Mendes. The Mendes Brothers will describe musical traditions and cultural history of Cape Verde, the small archipelago situated in the Atlantic Ocean, 350 miles off the west coast of Africa, a crossroads between Europe and Africa. Their most recent album, Porton De Regresso I chronicles the archipelago’s central role as the first permanent European settlement in Africa and the cradle of the New World; an multi-cultural and multiracial society. Porton de Regresso 1 is dedicated to the people of Cape Verde and to all people of African descent living in the Atlantic African Diaspora – in celebration of their mutual triumph over the challenges of the last 550 years.

Lecture presentation is Free with MoAD Admission.

CD sale and signing immediately following in MoAD Museum Store. Free and Open to the public.