TEACHING

During the Middle Ages, West Africa was home to rich and dynamic cultures that created objects whose power and beauty continue to resonate today. Most spectacular were those made of gold. In this talk, Gus Casely-Hayford, director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art, traces the history of gold and the growth of West Africa’s empires. By exploring this network, which includes the powerful emperor of Mali, Mansa Musa, he reveals the impact these former kingdoms continue to have on contemporary values and cultural expression.

12 January 2020

Read an interview with Gus Casely-Hayford about the Balthazar exhibition.

Artists Genevieve Gaignard and Rashaad Newsome address why and how they create spaces for Black histories that explore notions of rulership, power, and place. This conversation, moderated by Tyree Boyd-Pates, curator of Western history at the Autry Museum, poses questions about absence, erasure, and the process of reclaiming history for members of the African diaspora in the spaces of the art museum and beyond.

19 February 2020

Read a reflection by Tyree Boyd-Pates about Adoration of the Magi scenes and race.