For Immediate Release: November 20, 2007
Media Contact: Marketing and Communication Department
Lasting Foundations: Media Advisory
The Art of Architecture in Africa
Upcoming exhibition at the National Building Museum explores the architectural traditions of Africa.
What
Lasting Foundations: The Art of Architecture in Africa, a traveling exhibition organized by the Museum for African Art, opening October 6, 2007 at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C.
Lasting Foundations: The Art of Architecture in Africa shows some of the innovative and varied ways in which Africans have built and decorated their homes, palaces, and public buildings. Whether mosques or churches meant to last for generations, or residential structures continuously evolving with the ebb and flow of daily life, African buildings are typically both practical and beautiful, adapted to the landscape, and imbued with symbolic significance.
Lasting Foundations surveys some of the creative architectural solutions Africans have devised in constructing shelters, ceremonial buildings, and cities. The exhibition also explores how contemporary architecture in Africa blends practical and aesthetic inspiration from the past with the needs of people in the present.
Lasting Foundations: The Art of Architecture in Africa was organized by the Museum for African Art, New York, and sponsored by Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc.
Who
Dr. Enid Schildkrout, chief curator and director of exhibitions and publications, The Museum for African Art
Martin Moeller, coordinating curator for the National Building Museum
When
October 6, 2007 through January 13, 2008
The National Building Museum is America’s leading cultural institution dedicated to advancing the quality of the built environment by educating people about its impact on their lives. Through its exhibitions, educational programs, online content, and publications, the Museum has become a vital forum for the exchange of ideas and information about the world we build for ourselves. Public inquiries: 202.272.2448 or visit www.nbm.org. Connect with us on Twitter: @BuildingMuseum and Facebook.
