#national museum of african art

[pointandshooter]

From the Deep: In the Wake of Drexciya - Ayana V. Jackson (American b. 1977)

National Museum of African Art, Washington, DC

photos: David Castenson

[istandonsnowpiles]

Castle in the Window

[lionofchaeronea]

Afena saber of the Akan people, from the Agnibilékrou region of present-day Côte d'Ivoire. First half of 20th century. Now in the National Museum of African Art, Washington, D.C. Photo credit: Ji-Elle/Wikimedia Commons.

[dmdunamancer]

From the Deep: In the Wake of Drexciya with Ayana V. Jackson

"Artist Ayana V. Jackson creates an undersea realm honoring those who jumped or were thrown overboard during the trans-Atlantic slave trade." (Smithsonian Magazine, 8 June 2023)

Where There Is No Origin But Memory I

The Self-Forgetfulness of Belonging Will Never Be Mine I

Consider the Sky and the Sea

Some People Have Spiritual Eyes II (featuring the dress which also appears as "Use the Stars to Fix a Celestial Navigation Point," with materials including Ghanaian currency, paste, cotton, raffia reed fans)

When the Spirit of Kalunda Comes So Does Kianda

Some People Have Spiritual Eyes I

Reliquary: The Sea Has Nothing to Offer but a Well-Executed Grave

It is Only When You Lose Your Mother That She Becomes Myth

I Summon the Voice from the Deep I

[images from the official exhibition website]

Also -- for those interested, many of these garments and models appear in video-works in collaboration with other artists! Very cool.

[sabistarphotos]

March 27, 2022

Washington, DC

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National Museum of African Art

Sadiq Daba

Iké Udé, 2015

[arthistoryanimalia]

Pilipili Mulongoy (Democratic Republic of the Congo, 1914-2007) & Norbert Ilunga (DRC, active 1946-1950s)

Pintades (Guinea Fowl), c.1950

Oil on masonite, H x W: 125 x 247 cm (49 3/16 x 97 1/4 in.)

“This painting exemplifies the hightly decorative, rich compositions of Pilipili and his frequent collaborator Ilunga. As key figures in the Lubumbashi painting school, founded by Pierre Romain Desfosses, they became prolific chroniclers of the flora and fauna of the Congo region.”

National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution 92-15-4

[dix-a-la-proprietaire]

Glass

[baebeylik]

Shout by Samella Sanders Lewis. American. 2001.

Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.

[bruce-morrow]

JFK at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, 2023

GIF: Bruce Morrow

[fairyzar]

the older i get the more confused i become in regards to my identity.

[huntingtonnow]

Board Approves Formation of Committees, Appointments

The Huntington Town Board has approved the establishment of the Huntington America250 anniversary committee to prepare for celebrations of the semiquincentennial of the country’s Declaration of Independence in 1776. Appointed to committee were the town historian, town clerk’s archivist, director of cultural affairs and one representative each of these heritage organizations: Cold Spring Harbor…

[persistentvisionz]

March 8, 2024

Five Murmurations - John Akomfrah

[rabbitcruiser]

K-9 Veterans Day

Joseph White, a retired military working dog trainer, came up with the idea for K-9 Veterans Day. By his efforts, his home state of Florida recognized the day in 2009. Other states have since recognized it as well, although it has not been recognized on the national level. The day is dedicated not only to K-9 veterans of the military, but also to customs dogs, search and rescue dogs, police dogs, border patrol dogs, and secret service dogs. March 13 is the date of the holiday because the K-9 Corps was created on March 13, 1942. The Quartermaster Corps of the Army began training dogs on that date, making it the moment when dogs officially became part of the U.S. Armed Forces.

Three months before Pearl Harbor, U.S. Army Sgt. Robert H. Pearce started a small K-9 command program at Fort MacArthur in San Pedro, Los Angeles. He brought Hollywood dog trainer Carl Spitz on board. (Spitz was known for owning and training a Cairn Terrier named Terry, who was best known for playing the role of Toto in The Wizard of Oz.) In January of 1942, they began asking people in Los Angeles to bring their dogs to Pershing Square to be used in the war effort. Over 1,000 dogs were brought, including Rudy Vallee’s Doberman Pinscher, King, and Mary Pickford’s German Shepherd, Silver. The program was known as Dogs for Defense. These dogs would go on to be used by the K-9 Corps.

Originally, thirty breeds of dogs were accepted by the K-9 Corps, but this was narrowed down to seven: German Shepherds, Siberian Huskies, collies, Belgian Sheepdogs, Doberman Pinschers, Eskimo dogs, and Malamutes. New dogs were first given obedience training. They were then given additional training to be a scout or patrol, messenger, sentry, or mine detector. Within eight to twelve weeks they completed their training. The original idea was to have 200 dogs in the K-9 Corps, but by the end of World War II, the number had ballooned to more than 10,400. Most of the dogs were family pets.

Although dogs were first formally trained for military service during World War II, they have been used in war since antiquity. More recently, some were used informally during the Civil War. During World War I, the German, British, and Belgian armies used them to pull carriages and wagons loaded with guns and supplies, to pull telephone lines, to carry messages, and to comfort those who had been injured. About 7,000 dogs were used in World War I, but not only a few of these were from the United States.

As of the late 2010s, over 2,500 dogs actively serve in the military, and about 700 are deployed overseas. Military dogs sniff out bombs and weapons, search and patrol, perform guard duty, and serve as companions to those who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury. Military dogs are usually German Shepherds, Belgian Malinois, or Labrador Retrievers. Dogs in the military now can receive medals and awards, and they often have retirement and memorial services held for them. In law enforcement, dogs began being used more in the 1970s. These dogs patrol, perform search and rescue missions, and detect drugs, explosives, cadavers, and arson accelerants. Dogs in both military and law enforcement roles, as well as dogs in other similar official roles, are all honored today.

How to Observe

Here are some ideas on how to celebrate the day:

If you have, work with, or train a military dog, law enforcement dog, or dog in a similar role, make the day extra special for them.

Contact your representatives and encourage them to support a K-9 Veterans Day on the state or national level.

Support K-9 Courage, a group that provides healthcare assistance to retired police and military dogs, and gives support to service dogs who assist veterans with post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury. You could help raise funds or have your own dog participate in “Dogs Salute Dogs.”

Learn about notable dogs who have served in the military, such as Sgt. Stubby, Chips, Lex, and Cairo.

Visit a memorial dedicated to dogs, such as the War Dog Memorial at the March Field Air Museum in Riverside, California; the War Dog Memorial in Hartsdale Pet Cemetery in Hartsdale, New York; the National War Dog Cemetery and War Dog Memorial at Naval Base Guam; The Pennsylvania War Dog Memorial; or the Military Working Dog Teams National Monument in San Antonio, Texas.

Visit Sgt. Stubby, who is stuffed and on display, and covered with a blanket that holds his medals, in an exhibit titled “The Price of Freedom: Americans at War” at the National Museum of American History.

Watch a movie or documentary about military or police dogs such as Max, Sgt. Stubby: An American Hero, War Dog: A Soldier’s Best Friend, Megan Leavey, or War Dogs: America’s Forgotten Heroes.

Source

[the-garbanzo-annex-jr]

by Shiryn Ghermezian

US President Joe Biden signed into law on Wednesday a bill that would make it possible for the nation’s only museum dedicated exclusively to the American Jewish experience to join the Smithsonian Institution, which would help support its existence for years to come.

Bill H.R. 7764 establishes a commission that will examine if the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia can join the Smithsonian Institution. The commission of eight people must submit a report with its findings to Congress and the president within two years of its first meeting. The bill was sponsored by Jewish US Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) and introduced in March. It was passed by the House of Representatives in September and the Senate did the same earlier this month. Both votes were unanimous.

Before the bill was passed to Biden’s desk, Wasserman Schultz said in a Facebook post that signing it into law “would help reject harmful prejudices by educating people about the many contributions of Jewish Americans.”

The Smithsonian Institution is the world’s largest museum, education, and research complex, which includes 21 museums, 14 education and research centers, and the National Zoo. If the Weitzman museum, located on Independence Mall in Philadelphia, was to join the Smithsonian Institution, it would become one of the Smithsonian museums in the US dedicated to minority groups such as the African American History and Culture Museum, the American Indian Museum, and National Museum of Asian Art. Museums under the umbrella of the Smithsonian Institution also receive federal government support.

Established in 1976, the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History houses one of the largest collections of Jewish American artifacts in the nation, with more than 30,000 objects.

[redclaysoil]

kuba women decorating woven cloth in the democratic republic of the congo, photographed in 1970. eliot elisofon/smithsonian institution, national museum of african art

[sabistarphotos]

March 27, 2022

Washington, DC

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National Museum of African Art.

Genevieve Nnaji's Dress

Iké Udé, 2016.