Seen, Heard and Valued

Seen Heard Valued Ed Resource

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Seen, Heard and Valued An Education Resource about Art Collections and the Role of the Art Museum

Artist unrecorded, Tsonga, South Africa, Xintewana and Xithabana (Marriage basket), date unrecorded, fibre, glass beads, hide, (height) 17 x (diameter) 27.5cm. Standard Bank African Art Collection (Wits Art Museum). Acquired 1992.

This education resource will guide you on your journey of discovery of what an art collection is. Through engaging with the artworks and activities in this booklet you will learn about the art museum’s role in preserving, researching and exhibiting the art in its collections. You will practice interpreting art and explore different ways to express your thoughts about art.

Just as Wits Art Museum values the artworks in its collections, so do we value our audiences’ thoughts and responses to the artworks on exhibition. This booklet has spaces for you to draw and write down your thoughts about what you see, think and feel.

This book belongs to: _________________________________________________________

Education Resource Series

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What is an Art Collection?

An art collection is a deliberate grouping of artworks by curators and committees in public institutions or by private collectors. Including an artwork in an art collection signals to audiences that the artwork is valued in multiple ways. Collections reflect the changing ideas and interests of the people involved in creating the collection. For example, the Standard Bank African Art Collection, which is jointly owned by and located at Wits Art Museum, was begun in 1979 in response to a need for a collection of African art as resource for teaching African art in Wits University courses. The collection was a means to preserve and encourage new research on African art. At first the collection consisted of a few artworks from Central and West Africa. Over time, as the interests of the curators, benefactors, and university curricula changed, so the items that were collected changed. Today, the collection includes thousands of artworks from all over Africa, most of which are from the south of the continent.

From left to right: Rebecca Matibe, South Africa, Pot, 1993, clay, graphite, red ochre, polish, (height) 50 x (diameter) 40cm. Standard Bank African Art Collection (Wits Art Museum). Acquired 1993.

Artist unrecorded, Zulu, South Africa, Ukhamba (Beer pot), date unrecorded, clay, (height) 35 x (diameter) 40cm. Standard Bank African Art Collection (Wits Art Museum). Acquired 1998.

Artist unrecorded, Zulu, South Africa, Uphiso (Beer pot), date unrecorded, clay, (height) 32 x (diameter) 30cm. Standard Bank African Art Collection (Wits Art Museum). Acquired 1992.

Zanele Nala, South Africa, Ukhamba (Beer pot), 2006, clay, (height) 16.5 x (diameter) 18.5cm. Standard Bank African Art Collection (Wits Art Museum). Acquired 2007.

Let’s look Look around you. What kinds of artworks are included in the exhibition? List some of the works that you see:

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The Role of an Art Museum An important difference between an art gallery and an art museum is that an art museum houses art collections permanently, for future generations. Art museums have a responsibility to preserve, exhibit, share knowledge and encourage engagement with the artworks in their collection.

Wits Art Museum cares for the artworks in its collections by storing them in a secure, temperature and light controlled environment. Protective gloves must be worn when handling the artworks in the storeroom, and no one is permitted to touch the artworks that are on display, so that natural skin oils don’t damage the surfaces. The collection is made available to the public through regular exhibitions, publications and the education programme. Learners of all ages and at all levels of scholarship (from school level to professional researchers) are invited to engage with the artworks in different ways. This extends knowledge and preserves the heritage of the artworks in museum collections.

A group of learners writing their responses to the Beadwork, Art and the Body: Dilo ts̆e Dintshi exhibition, Wits Art Museum, 2015.

Glossary Heritage includes valued objects and cultural traditions that have been passed down from previous generations.

Let’s talk Why do you think it is important to care for and learn more about the artworks in an art collection?

What are some of the safety rules for engaging with artworks when they on display? Why do you think these rules are in place?

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Changing Conceptions of African Art Ideas of art are constructed by artists, art historians, theorists, and audiences.

Ideas about African art change over time as new information and new ways of thinking about African art emerge and as artworks move through different social spaces. Some of the artworks on this exhibition were not thought of as ‘art’ in the communities in which they were made.

Before they were part of the collection, the Zulu amathunga (milk pails) were valued both for their beauty and their uses by the communities in which they were made. Once they became part of an art museum collection, the amathunga gained an additional function which may not have been intended by the makers or users of the artworks. By contrast, Sipho Ndlovu’s paintings are representations that were made to be looked at as ‘art’. Our understanding of Ndlovu’s artworks might change when informed by our experiences of the amathunga in the art museum.

Top: Artists unrecorded, Zulu, South Africa, Amathunga (Milk pails), dates unrecorded, patinated wood, largest dimensions (height) 41 x (diameter) 20.8cm.

Standard Bank African Art Collection (Wits Art Museum).

Acquired 1998-9.

From left to right: Sipho Ndlovu, South Africa, Amasumpa Patina, Zulu Milk Pails and Amasumpa Zulu Milk Pails, three paintings, each 2019, oil on canvas, painting (height) 40.5 x (length) 45.5cm Standard Bank African Art Collection (Wits Art Museum).

Acquired 2020.

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Tracing the Artworks’ Life Stories

One of the ways that meanings are constructed for artworks is by researching who made the artwork, when, where, how and why it was made. Researchers also investigate the ways that the meaning and value of artworks change as they move through different social spaces. They trace the life story of an artwork, including whether the artwork has changed since it was made, how it came to be in the collection, and how it was valued before and after its life in the collection. By tracing an artwork’s life story we can better understand what the object meant to the people who made and used it, and how that knowledge might inform the value of the artwork for us today.

Artist unrecorded, Ibo, Nigeria Mwo (Maiden Spirit Mask) with Costume, date unrecorded, wood, pigment, textile, other materials, (height) 242 x (length) 172 x (width) 75cm. Standard Bank African Art Collection (Wits Art Museum). Acquired 1986.

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Let’s draw Look carefully at the Mwo (Maiden Spirit Mask) with Costume, to the left, and draw it in the space provided:

Write down at least five words that describe the lines and marks you drew:

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Asking Difficult Questions When artworks are purchased for art collections and removed from their previous everyday life, not only do they gain function and meaning as art but they are treated differently. These Sato Tam Tam (pair of male and female sacred drums) were created to be beaten as part of a ceremony, but now no one is permitted to play them in order to preserve them. We see and value them, but we no longer hear them.

Artist unrecorded, Fon, Benin, Sato Tam Tam, (Pair of sacred male and female drums), date unrecorded, wood, hide pigment, fibre.

Left: (height) 145 x (diameter) 78 cm. Right: (height) 141 x (diameter) 68 cm.

Standard Bank African Art Collection (Wits Art Museum). Acquired 1979.

A number of questions emerge, such as, how are artworks changed by their inclusion in museum collections? How can we respectfully display artworks that were not originally made to be displayed in a museum? How can we talk and write with respect about exhibited artworks? When the artworks are exhibited, should curators communicate some of their former meanings? Should these artworks be sent back to the communities who made and used them instead of being kept in museums?

Let’s reflect Choose an artwork that interests you. What are some questions you have when looking at this artwork?

Write them here:

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Artist Unrecorded/Date Unrecorded Did you notice that some of the labels include artists’ names and the dates that the works were made, while other labels say ‘artist unrecorded’ and ‘date unrecorded’? The ways that are used to identify artworks point to changing ways of thinking about art, time, history and the value of art.

In European art history traditions, artworks have been identified by the name of maker, the group of people who made the work, or the time in which the work was made. Historically, African artworks were not valued in the same way as western artworks, and many art historians and collectors did not consider it important to identify the makers of African artworks. Also, in some African traditions, the names of artists were not regarded as important as they are in European traditions. In both these instances, the names of the artists and when the artworks were made were not recorded. When exhibited, these artworks were often labeled as ‘artist unknown’ and ‘date unknown’. Today, we use terms ‘artist unrecorded’ and ‘date unrecorded’ to acknowledge that, although the names of the makers would have been known to the patrons and community in which the artworks were made, we do not now have access to this information. The terms also acknowledge the importance, in an art museum context, of recognising the creative work of the artists, and that a name can only be attached to their work if it was recorded.

Artist unrecorded, Possibly Zulu, South Africa, Bead panel, date unrecorded, 19th century, beads, fabric, fibre, (height) 13 x (length) 71cm.

Standard Bank African Art Collection (Wits Art Museum). Acquired 1999.

Let’s talk What is the difference in meaning of the terms “artist unknown” and “artist unrecorded”?

What change in attitude does the shift from writing “artist unknown” to “artist unrecorded” signal?

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See/n, Hear/d, Value/d When we look closely at artworks, we consider what the artwork is about and what the artwork means for us and others. In the process of sharing our opinions about what we see, think and feel, we make connections between ourselves, the artworks and our community. We learn how to find our own meaning in artworks, and how to value different interpretations.

Noria Mabasa, South Africa, Mukhali, 1996, pit-fired clay, (height) 88.5 x (length) 37, 5 x (width) 22,5cm.

Standard Bank African Art Collection (Wits Art Museum).

Acquired 1996.

Artist unrecorded, Pende, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kishikishi (Rooftop finial figure), c1950, wood, pigment, (height) 108 x (length) 32 x (width) 21.5cm.

Standard Bank African Art Collection (Wits Art Museum).

Acquired 2004.

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Interpreting Artworks Look carefully at the artworks on the facing page and then write down your answers to the questions below in the space provided:

What do you see? Describe each of the artworks.

Write a few words that describe how you feel when looking at these artworks:

What are the similarities between these two works?

What are some differences that you notice?

What do you think the artists are trying to say to us through their artworks?

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Creating Conversations Just as a collection brings artworks from across space and time together, exhibitions create new relationships between artworks that are presented alongside each other. The artworks on an exhibition are in conversation with each other, the curators and the audience. In the process, audiences may begin to understand the artworks in new ways. Being included in exhibitions adds more layers to an artwork’s life story. Some of the methods that the curators use to create conversations between artworks include the arrangement of artworks in the space, the use of lighting, labels, plinths and textual information.

Glossary A plinth is a heavy base that supports a sculpture.

Let’s talk What conversations are created between the works on this exhibition? What methods have the curators used to create these conversations?

Make a quick sketch showing how two or more artworks have been presented in relation to each other in the exhibition:

Opposite: Installation image from the Beyond the Readymade exhibition, Wits Art Museum, 2018.

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Artist unrecorded, Tonga, Zambia and Zimbabwe, Cuuno (Circular stool), date unrecorded, wood, (height 23) x (diameter) 65cm. Standard Bank African Art Collection (Wits Art Museum). Acquired 1982.

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Encouraging Multiple Voices An art exhibition is a space where many voices come together to create meanings for artworks. Artists’ ideas are expressed through their artworks, which are reinterpreted by the ways that curators exhibit them. The curators are then in dialogue with audiences, who bring their own histories, experiences and ideas to interpret the artworks.

Some artists, like Nolan Oswald Denis, make artworks in response to collections, the museum and the field of exhibition. Denis made this work for Activate/Captivate: Collections re-engagement at Wits Art Museum in 2015. The artist worked on his mural for the duration of the exhibition. He selected stools from the storerooms and made drawings of some of them, like this Tonga Cuuno (Circular stool). He also added quotations about African art and comments made by the audience. This artwork captures the many dialogues that take place in the field of exhibition.

Nolan Oswald Denis creating a mural for Activate/Captivate: Collections re-engagement at Wits Art Museum, 2015

Glossary A mural is artwork is a painting or other artwork that is executed directly on to a wall.

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Share Your Thoughts Throughout this booklet we have considered what an art collection is, and explored the museum’s role in preserving, learning about and sharing the art in their collections. We have emphasised the importance of encouraging different interpretations of art.

Share your thoughts about the art museum by completing the following sentence on the card provided:

I used to think art museums were:

Now I think art museums:

Please share your thoughts with us by posting your card in the postbox provided.

You can also make your voice heard by posting your answer on WAM’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/witsartmuseum

This education resource was compiled by Alison Kearney and edited by Julia Charlton, Kamal Naran and Anitra Nettleton. It was produced by Wits Art Museum to accompany Seen, Heard and Valued: WAM Celebrates 40 years of the Standard Bank African Art Collection, 2021. The exhibition showcased a portion of the more than 5 000 artworks from across Africa that make up the Standard Bank African Art Collection at Wits Art Museum. It is a celebration of their investment in preserving, researching and teaching about the Art of Africa.

Paul Emmanuel Design