Pattern, Costume, and Ornament in African and African-American Art

Works by artists Fred Wilson, Odili Donald Odita, Jeff Donaldson, Carrie Mae Weems, and others reveal how African-American artists incorporate design and decoration into their work for a variety of reasons.  The exhibition includes photographs, works on paper, sculpture, and quilts from the Museum’s permanent collection.

Among the works on view will be a Nick Cave Sound Suit, a beaded and sequined Haitian flag, AFRICOBRA founder Jeff Donaldson’s family portrait (a recent addition to the Museum’s collection acquired with Sankofa Society funds), Odili Donald Odita’s abstract canvas Gravity’s Rainbow, Fred Wilson’s photographs of antique dolls from his series, Old Salem: A Family of Strangers, and a Gee’s Bend quilt. Several of these works are making their Museum debut in this exhibition.