NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AFRICAN ART

Smithsonian Institution, P. O. Box 37012, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012

Johnnetta Betsch Cole, Director

The National Museum of African Art, established as a private museum in 1964, officially became a part of the Smithsonian in August 1979. It opened in its present home on the National Mall in 1987 and is a leading collecting, research and reference center for the visual arts of Africa. Through compelling, audience-centered exhibitions, scholarly publications and dynamic learning experiences, the Museum fosters public understanding and appreciation of the diverse cultures and artistic achievements of Africa from ancient to contemporary times.

Collections

The Museum’s collection include outstanding examples of both historic and contemporary art, the latter the largest publicly held collection of its kind in the United States, as well as iconic works of popular arts that demonstrate the dynamic and visually compelling culture of change characteristic of Africa and African artists. Noteworthy among its holdings of traditional art are collections of royal Benin sculpture, Kongo sculpture, personal objects such as stools, headrests, pipes and containers, and central African ceramics.  In 2005, the Museum acquired the important Walt Disney-Tishman African Art Collection as a gift from Walt Disney World Co., a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Company.  Jointly acquired by the National Museum of African Art and the National Museum of Natural History is a documented collection of 1,500 African textiles, primarily from West Africa, formerly owned by Alastair and Venice Lamb of Great Britain. The Museum’s collection of modern and contemporary art is particularly strong in works from Nigeria and South Africa.  Portions of the Museum’s collection and information on exhibitions and programs are available online through the Museum’s Web site (africa.si.edu).

Programs and Research Facilities

The Museum has a changing loan exhibition program as well as exhibitions featuring the permanent collection.  Exhibitions may focus exclusively on traditional or modern/contemporary art, or they may be a combination of the two.  Exhibitions may be thematically focused, devoted to the art of a single artist or peoples, or explore a particular artistic tradition or movement.

The Museum’s conservation department focuses on developing and applying appropriate preservation treatment for works of art, both traditional and contemporary, in the permanent collection, as well as preventive measures to arrest the deterioration of objects on exhibition, in storage, and on loan. The department maintains a 1,300 square foot laboratory and regularly collaborates with additional analytical expertise available throughout the Smithsonian for condition assessments and the technical study of African art objects.
The Warren M. Robbins Library of Smithsonian Institution Libraries is a specialized research library on African art and material culture. It has a collection of more than thirty-five thousand volumes and supports a wide range of research topics in African art, archaeology, history and cultural studies. The library collection is augmented by extensive files on African artists and files of other unpublished and ephemeral materials. The SIRIS online catalog (siris.si.edu) provides specific access to the collections.

The Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives is a research and reference center devoted to the collection, preservation and dissemination of visual materials that encourage and support the study of the arts, cultures and history of Africa.  The Archives collections contain approximately 350,000 items, including rare collections of glass plate negatives, lantern slides, stereographs, postcards, photographic albums, maps and engravings.  It also includes film footage and videos, as well as collections of images deposited by noted Africanist scholars.  The Archives staff works with art historians, anthropologists, photographers, filmmakers and other specialists in acquiring and preserving these visual resources. Archives staff also carries out photographic research and responds to requests from educational institutions, museums, scholars, publishers and the public. The SIRIS online catalog (siris.si.edu) provides access to selected holdings in the Archives collections.

The Museum is visited by national and international scholars who consult with the staff, examine the collections, and use the library facilities and photographic archives. Members of the Museum’s research staff are available for lectures at educational institutions and for consultation with scholars, university faculty, museum professionals, and graduate and postgraduate students.

The Museum has an active public education programs for children, schools and adults conducted through performing arts, workshops, lectures, films, tours, and outreach activities. Members of the educational staff are available for consultation with K-12 and college teachers.

RESEARCH STAFF

FREYER, Bryna M., Curator. B.A. (1970) Oakland University; M.A. (1993) Columbia University. Research specialties: African art history; Benin Kingdom; History of collecting; collection management.

KREAMER, Christine Mullen, Deputy Director/Chief Curator. A.A. (1972) Dutchess Community College, Poughkeepsie, NY; B.A. (1975) State University of New York, New Paltz; M.A.(1978), Ph.D.(1986) Indiana University. Research specialties: African art history; museum anthropology; museum studies, art and ritual; gender; African systems of knowledge.

MARTINEZ, Jessica Levin, Curator of Education. B.A. (1995) Harvard College; Ph.D. (2004) Harvard University. Research specialties: African Art History; museum education.

MELLOR, Stephen P., Chief Conservator. B.A. (1976) George Washington University, M.S. (1981) University of Delaware. Research specialties: Conservation of ethnographic works of art.

MILBOURNE, Karen E., Curator. BA (1993) Bryn Mawr College; MA (1996), PhD (2003) University of Iowa. Research specialties: Visual culture of Africa and its diasporas, contemporary art and artists, art and the environment, art and political representation, performance, new media issues, museum practice and exhibition theory.

STAPLES, Amy J., Senior Archivist. B.A.(1980) University of New Mexico; M.A. (1989) Temple University; Ph.D. (2002) University of California, Santa Cruz. Research specialties: Expeditionary/travel film; cinematic and photographic history; visual culture.

AFFILIATED RESEARCH STAFF

STOKES, Deborah, Curator for Education/K-12. M.A. (2000) Columbia College, Chicago. Research specialties: Object-based teaching and multi-disciplinary arts-integration; Yoruba art, Nigeria; Popular culture in Africa.

Smithsonian Research Staff and Affiliated Research Staff E-Mail Directory