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Elephant
The elephant is abundantly represented in African culture. In this lavishly illustrated anthology, eighteen scholars pay homage to both the African elephant and African creativity. The elephant's natural history is the starting point for this collection. Other essays discuss the animal's place in religious imagery, local economies, and regional cultures. The global appetite for ivory and the consequences of the ivory trade are the focus of two essays and of the epilogue, which also discusses the elephant as an endangered species. This volume bridges the gap that often separates the scholar from the general reader. Its visual mini-essays are entertaining and also broaden the scope of the book, and the spectacular photographs invite hours of pleasurable exploration.
Wrapped in Pride
Kente is not only the best known of all African textiles, it is also one of the most admired of all fabrics worldwide. Originating among the Asante peoples of Ghana and the Ewe peoples of Ghana and Togo, this brilliantly colored and intricately patterned strip-woven cloth was traditionally associated with royalty. Over time, however, it has come to be worn and used in many different contexts. In Wrapped in Pride, seven distinguished scholars present an exhaustive examination of the history of kente from its earliest use in Ghana to its present-day impact in the African Diaspora. Doran H. Ross is the former director of the UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History.
The Arts of Ghana
Introduces the viewer to Ghanaian history, geography, religions, and culture through a study of the nation's traditional arts.
Gold of the Akan from the Glassell Collection
Since ancient times, gold has been a highly prized metal throughout the world. In sub-Saharan West Africa, where gold is found in both rivers and fields, the art of the goldsmith has flourished for centuries at the courts of royal chiefs. Still used today, beautifully crafted gold objects are an essential part of African court ceremonies, demonstrating power and prestige, and promoting political unity. The royal courts of the Akan peoples in Ghana are the most spectacular in Africa. Lavish processions and ceremonies relate the history, beliefs and power of the state. Court regalia - including gold jewellery, headdresses, swords and sword ornaments, as well as colourful textiles and umbrellas - are invested with special meaning. These objects all relate to a combination of visual and verbal traditions. The extensive collection of African gold assembled by Alfred C. Glassell, Jr., is considered the finest of its kind anywhere in the world, and was given to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, in 1997. This fascinating and beautifully illustrated book is the first to focus on this extraordinary collection, and brilliantly reveals the ingenuity and creativity of African artists.
Isn't S/he a Doll?
From Preface: "This publication challenges the prevailing opinion among scholars of African art that the word doll is an inappropriate designation for many genres of African art to which it is often applied. The word, it seems, evokes a limited set of images that are incompatible with the stereotype of African sculpture as objects laden with ritual and religious associations, associations which to many minds preclude any consideration of play as part of their existence. Our basic premise for this volume is that the problem is not the application of doll to African contexts but rather a profound misunderstanding of what a doll is. Playing with dolls, we argue, is serious business, and we in the United States and elsewhere in the Western world probably take ours too lightly. While the average parent views these figures as relatively inconsequential objects, it is becoming increasingly clear to social scientists that they can be active in establishing value systems and constructing identities...."
African Art from the Menil Collection
Bamana masks and headdresses, Lega ivories, Dogon sculpture, and Benue bronzes are among the many exquisite African artifacts found in the renowned Menil Collection. This stunning book--the first comprehensive catalogue on the de Menils' collection of African art--features 115 of the museum's finest pieces. Dating primarily from the 19th and 20th centuries, these works come from North Africa and the Sahel, Coastal West Africa, and Central and East Africa. An essay by scholar Kristina Van Dyke discusses the formation of the collection, which was inspired in part by its relationship to modernist works and by the couple's interest in human rights. This insightful text also explains how the de Menils' visionary spirit was influenced by African art and places those objects within the context of the whole of the de Menils' collection, in which works from ancient, Byzantine, medieval, modern, Oceanic, and Native American cultures speak to the universal struggle for human understanding. Entries for the selected works were written by leading scholars in the field and are grouped into sections based on regions. Distributed for The Menil Collection
Baule
Featuring 250 illustrations, a detailed study of the sculpture of the Baule people of the Ivory Coast--long seen by Westerners as one of Africa's most important artistic traditions--explores the Baules' ways of expression and aesthetic understanding. UP.
The Power of Gold
This stunning volume showcases and explores a rich and varied collection of Asante royal regalia in the broader context of Asante art. The Asante Kingdom, founded around 1701 in the Gold Coast (now Ghana), was renowned for gold, the foundation of its wealth and power. For centuries they mined this metal and traded it with northerners on the Saharan caravan routes and Europeans along the Atlantic coast. The earliest examples of Asante gold were recovered from the wreck of the Whydah, a slave ship that sank off Cape Cod in 1717. The Power of Gold focuses on a dazzling array of adornments and implements used by Asante royals and officials during the 18th century to the present day--providing a deeper understanding of the history, traditions, and visual arts of the Asante people, one of the thriving cultures of West Africa. Distributed for the Dallas Museum of Art Exhibition Schedule: Dallas Museum of Art (04/15/18-08/12/18)
Acceptance and Commitment Approaches for Athletes’ Wellbeing and Performance
Elite sport can be an unforgiving and harsh environment. This book explores psychological predictors of wellbeing and performance excellence in elite level athletes, and presents an innovative approach for optimizing mental wellbeing and sporting performance. Jointly developed by performance psychologists, clinical psychologists and sport scientists the Flexible Mind approach draws on contemporary psychological theory and research to help athletes build ‘psychological flexibility’ - the ability to experience challenging thoughts and emotions and still be true to one’s values. A range of case studies relating to different sports are used to demonstrate how three core components - Being Present, Being Open and Doing What Matters - can improve athletes’ performance and wellbeing. This book will be a game-changing resource for sports psychologists, mental health practitioners, coaches and support staff who are committed to helping athletes to excel and stay well.
Sacred Arts of Haitian Vodou
This abundantly illustrated anthology brings together sixteen essays by artists, scholars and ritual experts who examine the sacred arts of Haitian Vodou from multiple perspectives. Among the many topics covered are the ten major Vodou divinities: Vodou's roots in the Fon and Kongo kingdoms of Africa and its transformation in the experiences of slavery, and the encounter with European spiritual systems; Vodou praxis, including its bodily and communal disciplines, the cult of St. James Major (Ogou), and the cult of twins.In the final section, essays by Elizabeth McAlister, Patrick Polk, Tina Girouard, and Randall Morris look at Vodou arts and artists, Oleyant, and the legacy of ironworker Georges Liautaud.The Envoi, by Donald J.Cosentino, is devoted to the Gedes, spirits of death and regeneration.
