"Midnight Robbers: The Artists of Notting Hill Carnival"

Mas from Blow Yaa Horn, designed by the Yaa Collective and presented by Yaa Carnival Group in 2004. Photograph: A. R. Thompsett.

This exhibition, which first opened in London’s City Hall, focuses on the art and artists of London's Notting Hill Carnival, originally brought to Britain with Caribbean migrants in the 1950s and now the largest and most spectacular street performance in Europe. One of the most promising areas of investigation within African Diaspora studies is the art of carnival in North America and Europe, especially in Britain.

The exhibition will serve as a point of connection to the newly implemented Art History concentration at the University of Memphis in the Arts of Africa and the African Diaspora, as well as to AMUM's newly reopened collection of African Art.

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Sogo Bò: The Animals Come Forth
Malian Puppets and Masks
from the Collection of Mary Sue and Peter Paul Rosen

April 24 through September 11, 2010

Sogo Bò is a colorful and lively puppet masquerade performed in south central Mali. A tradition dating from the pre-colonial era and organized by the local village youth associations, the masquerade draws upon a historical and contemporary repertoire of characters presented through dance, drumming and song. The festival illustrates the dynamics of social relationships and cultural values of everyday life.

Organized and originally presented in 2009 by The African Art Museum of the SMA Father under Director Robert Koenig at Tenafly, NJ.

This installation is curated and designed by students in the Museum Studies Program at the University of Memphis.

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