Modern & Contemporary African Art *In-Person* *NEW*

Art from Africa has long been at the center of artistic innovation but is rarely given its due. This course introduces the impact of classical African art on the development of modernism before diving into the growing field of modern & contemporary art from the African continent. It also examines global currents that connected African artists to their peers in the diaspora to forge political solidarities and new aesthetic traditions. Discover more about how artists used that creativity to fight back against colonialism, racism, and apartheid. Meet great modernist masters like Ibrahim El-Salahi and Bertina Lopes, as well as contemporary artists attracting the biggest buzz (and auction prices) like El Anatsui and Wangechi Mutu. Join us to explore in depth the themes driving the artworld, including the expanded field of portraiture, Afrofuturism, and globalization. Instructor: Colleen Foran

Sections

Instructor

Colleen Foran is currently a PhD candidate studying African art at Boston University (BU), where she has taught the introductory class to the arts of Africa and its diasporas alongside other courses. Her research focuses on contemporary West African art. In particular, her dissertation looks at performance art and its relationship to historical processions in the Ghanaian capital of Accra. Colleen received her MA at BU in spring 2020, as well as a Graduate Certificate in African Studies from BU’s African Studies Center. She was previously a Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellow studying Akan Twi and held a Graduate Research Abroad Fellowship for dissertation research in Ghana. Prior to coming to BU, Colleen earned her BA from DePaul University in the history of art and architecture and then worked at the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art as a writer and editor.