On View
Not on viewObject number2008.1
Kasai Dance Mask
Artist
Charles Wilbert White
(American, 1918-1979)
Dateca. 1937-1938
Mediumpencil on cream wove paper
Dimensionsimage: 8 1/4 × 7 in. (21 × 17.8 cm)
sheet: 10 in. × 7 3/8 in. (25.4 × 18.7 cm)
mount: 14 × 9 7/8 in. (35.6 × 25.1 cm)
mat: 20 × 16 in. (50.8 × 40.6 cm)
sheet: 10 in. × 7 3/8 in. (25.4 × 18.7 cm)
mount: 14 × 9 7/8 in. (35.6 × 25.1 cm)
mat: 20 × 16 in. (50.8 × 40.6 cm)
Credit LineElisabeth Claire Lahti Fund
Exhibition History"Embracing Diverse Voices: African-American Art in the Collection of the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts," KIA Galleries 3&4 (Oct. 3 - Nov. 29, 2009).
"Embracing Diverse Voices: 80 Years of African-American Art," KIA Traveling Exhibition, Bakersfield Museum of Art (Dec. 13, 2012 – Mar. 10, 2013).
"Embracing Diverse Voices: 90 Years of African-American Art," KIA Traveling Exhibition, Tyler Museum of Art, Tyler, TX (January 17 - March 20, 2016).
"Embracing Diverse Voices: A Century of African-American Art," KIA Traveling Exhibition, North Carolina Central University Art Museum (October 7 - December 12, 2016).
"Africa, Imagined: Reflections on Modern and Contemporary Art," KIA Gallerys 3 & 4 (January 22 - May 1, 2022).
"American Realism: Visions of America 1900-1950," Muskegon Museum of Art (May 11 - August 27, 2023); Flint Institute of Arts (September 9 - December 30, 2023); KIA (January 21 - April 14, 2024).Label Text"Charles White’s images depict African Americans with determination and grace. Kasai Dance Mask comes from one of White’s sketchbooks during his studies at the Art Institute of Chicago. This image bears markings similar to masks made by the Kuba people in the southern Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Kuba have some of the most elaborate masks and masquerading traditions that honor the ngesh (nature spirits). The ngesh are thought to be similar to humans, live near water, and can appear at any moment. The Kuba believe that ngesh influence happenings within the community, such as periods of harvest and women’s fertility. While White drew geometric patterning above the brow and on the face; a line of dangling cowrie shells on the temple; almond-shaped eyes, the identity of the mask is unknown. It is perhaps a ngady mwaash, a highly decorated mask used to honor Kuba women.
Kasai Dance Mask displays the artist’s potential to create powerful images that convey pride in African and African American culture. White believed art could change the world saying, “Art must be an integral part of the struggle. It can’t simply mirror what’s taking place. It must adapt itself to human needs. It must ally itself with the forces of liberation.”" [from the exhibition, Africa, Imagined, 2022]
