Harn Museum Exhibit Info
Elusive Spirits: African Masquerades
December 1, 2015 – March 2020
The exhibition presents 30 masks from the Harn collection, supplemented with loaned works from private collections. Drawing on the Harn’s strengths, most will be from West Africa (Nigeria, Mali, Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Liberia and Sierra Leone), with some from Central Africa (DCR, Cameroon). Masks from the mid-20thcentury to the early 21st century show the continuity of masking but also feature new directions in masquerades, such as the fancy dress masks of Ghana. Music and dance are as important as the costume in masquerade.
