Narrative Wisdom and African Arts

This book offers a comparative examination of intersections between African arts and narrative across expansive genres, cultures, periods, and contexts of patronage. More than two hundred color images explore an extensive array of media including sculpture in wood, ivory, metal, textiles, works on paper, photography, painting, and time-based media works.

Acknowledging intersections between certain historical arts and oral traditions, Nichole N. Bridges surveys assorted visual modes and motives of arts that facilitate, document, reinforce, or critique narratives concerning the legitimacy of leaders, memory of place, prescriptions for healing and destiny, and enduring ancestral wisdoms.