Exhibiting Africa: State of the Field in African Art and the Diaspora

Over the course of the last century, Western museums and collecting institutions have made considerable investments in the arts and material culture of Africa and the Diaspora. However, the historiography of collecting and exhibiting African and diasporic arts in Western cultural institutions remains incomplete and exhibition histories are understudied, belying the diversity of Black and African populations across the globe and the complexity of art and exhibition practices.

This two-day symposium—a collaboration between Bard Graduate Center (BGC) and Brooklyn Museum—will explore the changing (or unchanging) display practices in the field. Expertise will be diverse, ranging from the ancient to the contemporary and involving multiple specialties and research interests. The symposium will coincide with SIGHTLINES on Peace, Power and Prestige: Metal Arts in Africa at Bard Graduate Center (September 29–December 31, 2023) and Sakimatwemtwe: A Century of Reflection on the Arts of Africa at the Brooklyn Museum (April 7, 2023–2025).

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