Rare book exhibit: An African Mosaic
In honor of the appointment of Wendy Wilson-Fall as Lafayette's new Director of Africana Studies, the spring 2013 book arts exhibit features works inspired by Africa. With subjects ranging from traditional African folktales to the various religious and cultural beliefs of countries such as Ethiopia, Senegal, Mali and Gabon, these works were created by a variety of book artists and presses. Several of the books are pictorial works showcasing the people and landscapes of Egypt, Kenya, and Cameroon. Included in the show is a small Ethiopian psalter or prayer book handwritten in Ge'ez, the language of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, and illustrated in a traditional Ethiopian folk art style. Freya Diamond's Dolls of Africa, a variant in her Body of Work series, contains six three-dimensional images of dolls found in Africa. A striking piece in the exhibit is Mary McCarthy's Africa: a Map, a unique artist's book consisting of three sections showing the colonial boundaries set by Europeans which represent both the past and the continuing struggle of postcolonial development.
