Egypt in/and Africa Exhibitions, Questions and Complexities in American Art Museums

• Published in: African arts Vol. 57; no. 2; p. 1
• Main Authors: Purdy, Janet Marion, Arico, Ashley F
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles African Studies Center 01.06.2024
• Subjects: 21st century; African art; Art exhibits; Collection management; Egyptian civilization; Museums; United States > US
• ISSN: 0001-9933; 1937-2108
• DOI: 10.1162/afar_a_00749

Exhibiting the arts of Africa in museum spaces today is not a straightforward endeavor, but one could argue it never has been. In American museums today, is it even possible to build those connections and overcome entrenched divisions that are now more than a century old? Should the arts of Egypt in Africa (or Egypt and Africa) be exhibited together? And if so, how? Many of the challenges are reflected in questions such as: What role can museums play to reveal the multifaceted and interconnected nature of Egyptian histories—in the context of the African continent and beyond? Thinking expressly about museum visitors, how do we elucidate relationships with other cultures and geographies to present a more integrated view of ancient Egyptian arts that does not imply causation or construe false narratives? How do we bridge the expansive chronological gap between the two collections in a way that moves beyond trite, surface-level comparisons? While many of these questions could be applied to all museums, we restrict our focus in this essay to art institutions in the United States, writing from the perspective of our personal experiences and knowledge to highlight questions in contemporary American contexts