NAL and V&A Academy Workshop Highlights Afro-Diasporic Collections
The National Art Library (NAL) and V&A Academy hosted an Afro-Diasporic Collections workshop featuring talks, Q&As, and curated materials. Richard Epsley presented a 1300s Egyptian manuscript, the library's oldest African text. Highlights included an Ethiopian sacred scroll from the 1800s, looted from Maqdala and later acquired by the museum from W.H. Saunders; provenance research by Alexandra Watson Jones has shed light on such items. Emily Nkanga's photobook 'Unyọñ ufọk' documents life in Akwa Ibom, Nigeria, shot on film with a Mamiya RZ 67 and Olympus OM2. 'Axé Bahia' explores Afro-Brazilian art and religion, complementing a 2017 Fowler Museum exhibition. 'Golden Legacy' is a 16-issue educational comic series (1966–1976) by Bertram A. Fitzgerald, with Volume 15 focusing on ancient African kingdoms. All materials are consultable at the NAL.
Key facts
- Workshop held at National Art Library in collaboration with V&A Academy
- Richard Epsley presented an Egyptian manuscript from the 1300s
- Ethiopian sacred scroll from 1800s looted from Maqdala, acquired from W.H. Saunders
- Alexandra Watson Jones conducted provenance research on looted items
- Emily Nkanga's photobook 'Unyọñ ufọk' documents Akwa Ibom, Nigeria
- 'Axé Bahia' publication accompanies 2017 Fowler Museum exhibition 'The Roads that Lead to Bahia'
- 'Golden Legacy' comic series by Bertram A. Fitzgerald published 1966–1976
- Volume 15 of 'Golden Legacy' covers Kush-Nubia and 8th century Ghana
Entities
Artists
- Richard Epsley
- Alexandra Watson Jones
- Emily Nkanga
- Bertram A. Fitzgerald
- Patrick Polk
- Mansa Musa
Institutions
- National Art Library
- V&A Academy
- Victoria and Albert Museum
- Fowler Museum at UCLA
- Studio GÒKÈ
- Fitzgerald Publishing Company
Locations
- Gondar
- Ethiopia
- Maqdala
- Akwa Ibom
- Nigeria
- Bahia
- Salvador
- Brazil
- Los Angeles
- United States
- London
- England
- New York City
- Kush-Nubia
- Ghana