Lasting Foundations: The Art of Architecture in Africa

October 6, 2007 - January 13, 2008

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Family Compound, Sirigu, Ghana, ca. 1986

©Margaret Courtney-Clarke

Lasting Foundations: The Art of Architecture in Africa is a broad exploration of African building traditions, past and present, from Timbuktu to Johannesburg. The exhibition shows some of the innovative and varied ways in which Africans have built and decorated their homes, palaces, and public buildings.

African architecture is infused with symbolism, and reflects the lives and the culture of the people who made it. Some structures, like mosques and churches, are meant to last for generations, while others are continuously changing to accommodate the needs of their occupants.

The exhibition includes original artifacts such as textiles, intricately carved house posts, doors, locks, and window frames. Among the many images featured are photographs showing murals and sculpture on buildings, images of contemporary African architecture, and a film showing the annual re-plastering of the Djenne mosque, the largest mud structure in the world.

Sponsors

Lasting Foundations: The Art of Architecture in Africa was organized by the Museum for African Art, New York, and sponsored by Merrill Lynch.

 

Sponsors & Partners

Credits

Curators: Dr. Enid Schildkrout, Chief Curator and Director of Exhibitions and Publications, Museum for African Art; Jerry Vogel, Deputy Director, Museum for African Art; and Laurie Ann Farrell, Executive Director of Exhibitions, The Savannah College of Art and Design

National Building Museum Team
Coordinating Curator: Martin Moeller
Exhibition Coordinator: Hank Griffith
Registrars: Cecelia Gibson and Dana Twersky
Exhibition Designers: MaryJane Valade
Exhibition Preparators: Shelagh Cole, Chris Maclay, and Fred Braun
Graphic Designer: Nancy Van Meter