It’s been a long road, but the Museum for African Art is really coming into its own: the opening of its new building, on Fifth Avenue and Central Park North in New York, a year or so from now, will be transformative.
I had a chance to take a hard-hat tour of the premises the other day — not to mention to see it from the nearby, lakeside Dana Discovery Center in Central Park, a glorious spot on that sunny fall day — and to hear the plans of director Elsie McCabe Thompson and chief curator Enid Schildkrout. They, and their trustees and staff, seem to have taken care of all the details, big and small. For example, on the small (but important) side, the restaurant and theater will have separate entrances, so that they may be used when the museum is closed — but visitors will still see some African art as they enter.
On the big side, it will have more ambitous exhibits — one of the inaugural shows, Dynasty and Divinity: Ife Art in Ancient Nigeria (photo above shows one piece), is co-organized by the British Museum and the Fundación Marcelino BotÃn; there are three more to fill 16,000 sq. ft. of galleries.
In contemporary art, one inaugural exhibition is Ibrahim El Salahi: A Visionary Modernist, the first museum retrospective of Ibrahim El Salahi, a pioneer of the “Khartoum School” who’s known as the godfather of African modernism. (Who knew?)
The new building, designed by Robert A.M. Stern, also allows the museum to collect art, instead of just exhibit it, for the first time (that’s why it’s name used “for,” instead of “of”). It is actively seeking gifts.
McCabe is building something more akin to the Asia Society than to a traditional museum, with a range of programs.
She’s forged partnerships with about a dozen groups, from theater and children’s theater organizations to musical ones. They’ll be able to perform not only in the theater, but also on a plaza. There’ll be an education center and library, of course.
And the museum is starting something called the Nelson Mandela Center, which will host scholars, policymakers, speakers and students to explore “paths to peace and some of the most important humanitarian issues in African and world history.”
There’s a lot more to do to make this come together in the next year — including raise more money. If it all works, the Museum for African Art is going to be a fabulous addition to the Museum Mile.
Photos: Courtesy British Museum (top); Robert A.N. Stern (bottom)