Dr. Jack Johnson Kimbrough Collection
San Diego Mesa College World Art Collection
Spring 2025 Exhibition - Glass Gallery -
1st Floor of the Mesa Learning Research Center
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Dr. Jack Johnson Kimbrough
Dr. Jack Kimbrough, San Diego’s first African American dentist, arrived in the city in 1935 and played a significant role in its Civil Rights history. He founded the San Diego Urban League and served as an early president of the local NAACP. Dr. Kimbrough and his wife, Quincella, created a home filled with African American history, featuring an extensive library of antique and contemporary books by Black authors. Their walls were adorned with African masks and artifacts, making their home a cultural hub for African Americans and others interested in art and meaningful conversations. Before Dr. Kimbrough’s passing, Dr. Barbara Blackmun brought Mesa College students to his home to view his collection and hear him speak about his travels to Africa. Following his death, his family donated a portion of his extensive African art collection to Mesa College, ensuring that this rich artistic heritage continues to inspire and educate students. To learn more about Dr. Kimbrough’s legacy, see the links below.
Quincella and Dr. .Kimbrough
Pieces on display in the Kimbrough Home (now in the Mesa College collection)
Rosa Parks and Dr. Kimbrough, n.d.
Rosa Parks and Dr. Kimbrough, n.d.
SELECTIONS FROM THE COLLECTION ON DISPLAY
Deangle Mask, Dan Peoples, Liberia
Wood, shells, gourds, hair, fiber, pigment, 11” x 24”
Gift of Dr. Jack Johnson Kimbrough
CAT 1993 JK 2
The Dan people reside in a primarily forested area of the Ivory Coast and Liberia on the west coast of Africa. This forested area contains spirits that play an important role in village life. The Gunyege (open eyes) represents the nurturing aspects of the forest spirits (gle). Each mask has a zo or “master” that is responsible for the relationship with the spirit force and controls the occasions on which the mask comes out to perform. The male masquerader covers his body in cloth to shield his identity. Every mask spirit has a personal name as well as one or more praise names. Thus it is more relevant to ask, “Who is that spirit” than to ask, “What kind of mask is that?” An example of its use is to aid men in preparation for battle or a race. The gle aids the men in achieving success and the mask is often given as a reward. The deangle represents the nurturing aspects of the forest spirits (gle). Initiation rites take place in a sacred place in the forest, with the deangle (literally "feminine mask") used to embody the gentle, nurturing aspects of the forest spirits. The word "deangle" refers to the feminine character of this mask type, with its round eyes, full lips, and protruding forehead. These are considered to be ideal elements of feminine beauty by the Dan peoples. The headdress with cowry shells is part of a masquerade costume that consists of a tall fabric cap, colorful cape, and raffia skirt. The face mask with pointed chin and finely-carved features, including prominent mouth and slim, heavily-lidded eyes, surmounted by headdress of cowrie shells and plaited fiber "hair" rising to a peak at the top and tapering in a braid at the back. The deangle mask is performed by the male initiation societies of the Dan and Mano groups. The mask plays the role of the teaching and nurturing maternal figure in these male societies.
Source: Blackmun-Visona, Monica, et. al. A History of Art in Africa. 2nd ed. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson: Prentice Hall, 2008
Akua Ba Figure, Asante/Akan Peoples, Ghana, mid 20th century
Wood 24”
Gift of Dr. Jack Johnson Kimbrough
CAT 1993 JK 10b
Pervasive female fertility figure often found in shrines of the Ghanian Akan. These spiritually activated power figures are known as “Akua’s children,” or akua ma (singular: akua ba), and are adorned with gifts such as beads, jewelry, and clothing. Akan women desiring children receive the consecrated figures from Ashante healers. They were to be nurtured as if they were human, thus reducing anxiety. Once a baby was born, the figures were left at shrines.
Highly stylized and desirable physical attributes have been reduced down to essential, abstract elements including a cylindrical body with arms and legs, thin, disk-shaped head, and conventional sloping forehead. The presence of scarification, rings around the neck, downcast eyes, and slight opening of mouth symbolize prosperity, elevated social status, and significant rites of passage. Variations of this figure exist, but characteristics of the akua ma remain consistent.
Akua’ba figures are typically wood images commissioned by Asante healers to be carried by women who are unable to have children. Akua’ba represents the spirit of Akua’s children, a woman who was unable to have a child (ba) and after carrying the doll was able to conceive. The legend lives on amongst the people of Ghana today. The dolls represent the Akan ideal of beauty: elongated forehead, long neck with ripples that represent prosperity, exaggerated breasts, and abstract facial features including elongated nose and eyebrows.
Nomoli Figures, Bullom people, Sierra Leone, 16th Century
Stone, 3-5”
Gift of Dr. Jack Johnson Kimbrough
CAT 1993 JK 76 a, b
The group that produced the Nomoli figures resided in the coastal region of Sierra Leone now occupied by the Mende, Kissi and Kono people. No documentation exists from this group. As a result of the original groups’ displacement, the history and purpose of the Nomoli pieces is tenuous. However, the groups that now reside in the region unearthed the figures while farming and collected them for various reasons. Nomoli is a Mende term which means “found spirits.” Other groups use the term mahei yafeisia (spirit of leaders) and treat the stone figures with great respect. The initial name is unknown however historians have surmised that the stone figures may have been intended as ancestral power figures for the primary owners. Despite the fact that later groups had no personal connection to the stone pieces, they viewed them as representations of guardian spirits. Currently, many groups use them as ritual tools to help increase agricultural harvests. Due to the rudimentary conservation efforts of the later groups, historians have not been able to document regional styles and there is minimal historical information.
The Nomoli come in various forms. Most are small in scale with minimal carving. Many were found buried in what may have been farming communities as a gift to the earth. However several appear to represent figures of significant status with the addition of unique facial features and evidence of a nose and earrings attached to the forms. The emphasis on these details suggests that the human representations may be that of chiefs or significant ancestors amongst this group. Therefore, the stone figures may have served as a form of ancestral commemoration for veneration practices.
Source: Blackmun-Visona, Monica, et. al. A History of Art in Africa. 2nd ed. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson: Prentice Hall, 2008, pp. 169-170.
SalaMpasu mask, SalaMpasu peoples, Democratic Republic of Congo
Wood, reed balls, fiber cord, 14” h
Gift of Dr. Jack Johnson Kimbrough
CAT 1993 JK 27a
The Sala Mpasu people live east of the Kasai River, on the border between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Angola. The Sala Mpasu or “hunters of locusts” are known as a warrior class however they maintain strong commercial and cultural relations with their southern neighbors, the Chokwe and the Lunda, to whom they pay tribute.
The Sala Mpasu have three types of masks, hunter, warrior and chief. The primary purpose of the masks is in the initiation of young boys. The initiation of young boys would include lessons by the elders, teaching the boys about the significance of the role they will play in society. which aids in strengthening the community. are taught by elders in these groups that masks were an integral part of the warriors’ society whose primary task was to protect this small enclave against invasions by outside kingdoms. Boys were initiated into the warriors’ society through a circumcision camp, and then rose through its ranks by gaining access to a hierarchy of masks. Earning the right to wear a mask involved performing specific deeds and large payments of livestock, drink and other material goods. Once a man ‘owned’ the mask, other ‘owners’ taught this new member particular esoteric knowledge associated with it. The Salampasu use masks made from wood, crocheted raffia, and wood covered with sheets of copper. Famous Salampasu masks made for initiation purposes are characterized by a bulging forehead, slanted eyes, a triangular nose and a rectangular mouth displaying an intimidating set of teeth. The heads are often covered with bamboo or raffia or rattan-like decorations. Presented in a progressive order to future initiates, they symbolize the three levels of the society: hunters, warriors, and the chief. Certain masks provoke such terror that women and children flee the village when they hear the mask's name pronounced for fear they will die on the spot. Wooden masks covered or not covered with copper sheets are worn by members of the ibuku warrior association who have been killed in battle. The masks made of plaited raffia fiber are used by the idangani association. Throughout the southern savannah region copper was a prerogative of leadership, used to legitimize a person’s or a group’s control of the majority of the people. Possessing many masks indicated not only wealth but also knowledge. Filing teeth making part of many wooden masks was part of the initiation process for both boys and girls designed to demonstrate the novices’ strength and discipline. Salampasu masquerades were held in wooden enclosures decorated with anthropomorphic figures carved in relief. The costume, composed of animal skins, feathers, and fibers, is as important as the mask itself. It has been sacralized, and the spirit dwells within it. Masks are still being danced as part of male circumcision ceremonies.
Source: African Arts, vol. 24, no. 4, 1991, pp. 2–34. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/3337032. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.
Brass Weights, Ashanti/Asante, Ghana
Brass, various sizes
Gift of Dr. Jack Johnson Kimbrough
CAT 1993 JK
The Asante kingdom established a standardized weight system using brass, copper and gold that served as a measuring tool for the trading of goods. The weights were cast into representational figures to represent the vast collection of Asante proverbs. This particular brass weight represents the Asante proverb of an elderly woman pounding fufu (yams) as a means to connect to the Gods, specially Nyame, the creator god. The staff used to pound the fufu serves as a conduit to connect to the heavens. This brass piece served a utilitarian role as a weight but also represents the ongoing practice of women pounding fufu to reenact the actions of the ancient woman and to ensure an ongoing connection with the God Nyame for the entire Asante kingdom.
The Asante Empire, located in the nation of Ghana, developed a systemized form of trade with Dutch, Portuguese and N. African nations in the 15th and 16th centuries. The foreign traders desired the extensive gold supply located in the region. To streamline the trade process, the Asante developed a standardized weight and counterweight system using brass, copper and gold. The counterweights for measuring gold took various forms. The majority of weights were geometric in appearance, however many were cast (using the lost-wax process) into representational figures to represent the vast catalog of Asante proverbs. The brass weight on the left represents an Asante proverb of an elderly woman pounding fufu. According to Asante myth,
“In the beginning, the sky and the earth were close together. One day, a woman was pounding fufu (a kind of yam, an Ashanti staple). The mortar was firmly on earth, but the pestle kept knocking the sky, God’s dwelling place. God decided to move the sky higher, but the woman instructed her children to pile up mortars on top of one another. As the pile nearly reached the sky, the tower collapsed, killing all the children and creating a gap between humans and God.
The story has it that long ago, God (Nyame) was so close to human beings that one could easily reach out to Him in the sky. However, one day an old woman accidentally hit Nyame’s dwelling place with a pestle while pounding “fufu” (mashed plantain/yam/cassava). She apologized to God, and begged him to move up a little further. God agreed and went up a little as requested. Then the pestle hit God again, and again. Therefore, Nyame went up so high that no human could or can ever see or hit God anymore, forever.”
Source: Imbo, Samuel O. Oral Traditions as Philosophy: Okot p’Bitek’s Legacy for African Philosophy. Lanham MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. 2002.
Edan Ogboni, Yoruba peoples, Nigeria, early 20th century
Metal 9”
Gift of Dr. Jack Johnson Kimbrough
CAT 1993 JK 43
The Edan Ogboni aids in maintaining balance and order in Yoruba communities. The Yoruba Ogboni (meaning 'cult of old age') is a society of respected elderly men and women responsible for the management and wellbeing of their community through the maintenance of law and order - often with the power to sentence criminals to death. They are also responsible for the selection and eventual burial of the Oba ('king') of the town and even have the power to expel the king should the group deem him unfit to rule. The male and female pair in Ògbóni iconography represents two different aspects of the same phenomenon; Mother Earth as “the male-like female” and from the Yoruba equation of maleness with harshness or hardness, and femaleness with tenderness or softness. By the same token, the chained pair may be detached and used as a semiotic device to convey important decisions of the Ògbóni society to members and non-members alike. A male figure has a negative connotation, indicating that an individual has committed a serious offense and will be judged. A female figure, on the other hand, implies good news such as being appointed a chief, exonerated from false accusations, or granted special favors. The figures are often rendered nude with a frontal pose. The male and female genitalia are exaggerated. The male figure typically carries an object identified with Ogboni rituals and executioner's club; Staff of office; Ceremonial fan; Dish; Wooden ladle; or Tobacco pipe. Female figures are typically depicted holding a baby or holding onto her breasts. Each figure has an enlarged head with bulging forehead, crescent motif (osu) on forehead, elaborate hair and headdress.
Source: Lawal, Yoruba, 2012, pp. 48-50; Drewal, Yoruba: Nine Centuries of African Art and Thought, 1989, p. 136-7; Thompson, Black Gods and Kings, 1971)
Gunyege and Deangle masks, Dan peoples, Liberia, mid-20th
Wood, fiber, metal 9”
Gift of Dr. Jack Johnson Kimbrough
CAT 1993 JK 4A; 1993 JK 6; 1994 JK 4
The Dan people reside in a primarily forested area of the Ivory Coast and Liberia on the west coast of Africa. This forested area contains spirits that play an important role in village life. The Gunyege (open eyes) represents the nurturing aspects of the forest spirits (gle). Each mask has a zo or “master” that is responsible for the relationship with the spirit force and controls the occasions on which the mask comes out to perform. The male masquerader covers his body in cloth to shield his identity. Every mask spirit has a personal name as well as one or more praise names. Thus it is more relevant to ask, “Who is that spirit” than to ask, “What kind of mask is that?” An example of its use is to aid men in preparation for battle or a race. The gle aids the men in achieving success and the mask is often given as a reward. The deangle represents the nurturing aspects of the forest spirits (gle). Initiation rites take place in a sacred place in the forest, with the deangle (literally "feminine mask") used to embody the gentle, nurturing aspects of the forest spirits. The word "deangle" refers to the feminine character of this mask type, with its slit eyes, full lips, and protruding forehead. These are considered to be ideal elements of feminine beauty by the Dan peoples. The deangle mask is performed by the male initiation societies of the Dan and Mano groups. These mass play the role of the teaching and nurturing maternal figure in these male societies.
Gu mask, Guro peoples, Ivory Coast
Wood, pigment, 17”
Gift of Dr. Jack Johnson Kimbrough
CAT 1993 JK 21A
Beautiful handcrafted African Guro masks that originate from the west coast of Africa and more specifically from Ivory Coast. The Guro tribe or Gouro tribe as they are sometimes pronounced are Guro Mask very spiritual people and their masks are all representations of their way of life and spiritual way of life.
This Guro mask and many of the other masks are representations of the spirit of Gu, the wife of Zamble, a supernatural being. Each mask is similar but not identical with horns that represent the spiritual power and is believed by the tribe to have magic powers to protect the human way of life of the owner and the tribe. The Guro mask is very unique and has a combination of human and animal traits and imaginary beasts. Birds of different kinds can often be seen carved into the mask such as the horn bill or other large billed birds. These masks were commonly used during the traditional ceremonies such as funerals, animal sacrifices and weddings, today the people of Ivory Coast honor their ancestors with traditional dance and the mask represents their loyalty to the past.“In Guro culture, distinctions are made between masquerades that are the focus of cults and those that are more secular in nature. A sequence of three sacred masks centers around Zamble, a mythical male being whose form fuses antelope and leopard features. He is in turn complemented by his beautiful wife, Gu, and his wild, grotesque brother, Zuali. Such representations are owned by certain families that use them as the loci of sacrificial offerings proposed by diviners to improve their well-being. In contrast, other Guro mask forms, which serve only as sources of entertainment, are designed by individual performers.”
Source: Metropolitan Museum. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/312516
Mother and Child, Akan peoples, Ghana, mid-20th c.
Wood, 24”
Gift of Dr. Jack Johnson Kimbrough
CAT 1993 JK1 A
The Akan reside in the country of Ghana, located in the western region of the continent of Africa. This figure of a seated mother with her nursing infant was probably intended for a family shrine. The mother’s stiff formal gesture seems to emphasize the symbolic nature of the primordial mother’s act of nurturing the entire lineage. The shape of the chair and the fact that the figure wears sandals suggests that she may represent a “queen mother,” the senior female member of a ruling lineage. Incorporated into the design of the chair is a figure supporting the mother, representative of the people who rely upon her for nurturing and protection. The elaborate hairstyle, beads and scarification all enhance her power and beauty.
Source: Africa and Beyond Gallery. https://www.africaandbeyond.com/shrine-maternity-statue-akan-people-ashanti-group-ghana-please-call-for-price--details.html
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