The artistry of clothing and hats, however, often goes ?unnoticed.
That’s what Brittany Sheldon hopes to change. As a Ph.D. student in art history, Sheldon has dedicated herself to learning about art forms across Africa, concentrating on Ghana, in order to foster awareness of the vast art landscape.
“There’s sort of a view given by the media about Africa, that it’s this mysterious, monolithic place,” Sheldon said. “West and Central Africa and those areas have been connected to Europe and Asia for centuries.”
Sheldon brought her expertise to the IU Art Museum this fall as a graduate assistant to Diane Pelrine, curator of the Arts of Africa, Oceania and the Americas.
Most graduate assistants take charge of at least one exhibit during their time with her, ?Pelrine said.
This particular exhibit, “Fantastic African Hats,” drew from the collection of Budd Stalnaker, former IU instructor and donor to the museum.
“She worked very independently and met all her deadlines but didn’t hesitate to ask questions if something was unclear to her,” Pelrine said.
Pelrine said Sheldon had a strong work ethic and attention to detail as she assembled this exhibit for the gallery’s Focalpoint section.
“Brittany is an excellent and very thorough researcher, so I had complete confidence in the information she provided,” Pelrine said. “She’s also very well organized and understands how important deadlines are for a project such as this.”
The toughest part was narrowing down which 12 of the hats from Stalnaker’s collection would go into the final display, Sheldon said.
“I first started out with what would be the most visually interesting, but I also wanted to get a good geographic distribution,” ?Sheldon said.
Sheldon added the goal is to show the association between this art form and a common form of commerce in Africa.
“The overarching theme behind this show, the way that I’ve tied them together, is through a history of trade and how the material used to makes the hats has been connected,” Sheldon said.
Sheldon said the materials used to make the hats can inform viewers about the wealth of the person trading them.
These range from beads, a common form of currency, to more valuable material.
“One of the hats has ?metal components,” Sheldon said. “It has a metal disk on it that represents wealth.”
Sheldon, who graduated with a master’s degree from IU in 2009, said she also put together a display of photographs for the Mathers Museum of World Cultures earlier this year with guidance from Manager of Exhibitions Matthew Sieber.
Sheldon said art has been a part of her life since she was young, though her own artistic experience is limited.
“My father is an artist and an art teacher,” Sheldon said. “I grew up going to museums and galleries. It’s my world.”
Hats, Sheldon added, are a good introduction for those interested in learning more about how art and commodity converge in some parts of the world.
“I tried to make it a good entry point,” Sheldon said. “It’s through something people can relate to. You can see the variety of forms that exists, and through that audiences can learn about complex histories of trade and contact with outsiders.”
Pelrine said another point is to ensure students like Sheldon have the opportunity to experience putting an exhibit together start to finish.
“In giving Brittany the chance to organize this exhibition and write a brochure to go with it, the museum offered her a valuable educational and professional experience,” Pelrine said.
“Offering students that sort of opportunity and guiding them through it is an important part of what the IU Art Museum, as a university art museum, is all about.”
