This lecture will investigate the great West African empires that overlapped with the European Middle Ages and early Renaissance (roughly 800-1600) and the impact they had not only on European financial systems and European art (the gold) but also on areas south of the Sahara on the African continent. The trade that brought such wealth to the Empires also spurred the growth of city-states outside the imperial areas, and their art traditions in terracotta, bronze and brass are an important part of the story of life at this time.
Presented by Dr. Jean M. Borgatti, consulting curator, Fitchburg Art Museum; and research fellow, African Studies Center, Boston University
Image: Art and Empires on the Shores of the Sahara (Alicia Lagamma, editor; Yale University Press, 2020) Collection of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France.
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If you plan to attend in person at the Museums, tickets are available on the day of the lecture in the Welcome Center.
Members: FREE
Springfield residents: FREE
Nonmembers: $4
To attend via ZOOM, please register in advance.
Free admission to the Museums a la Carte lectures for all museum members made possible by the National Endowment for the Humanities through the #SHARP program.
