Browse Exhibits (5 total)

Alison Weld: Essential Forces

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Essential Forces is an exhibition of Alison Weld’s abstract artworks that explores the importance and presence of the intrinsic forces that govern life. 

AMUM Staff Picks

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Through this eclectic exhibition, AMUM staff share their favorite pieces from the museum's collections. 

Carroll Cloar: A Path of Memory

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The work of renowned Memphis artist, Carroll Cloar, offers us a glimpse into his past, conveying a unique perspective of the American South. A gallery of Cloar’s work transforms into a path through his life, allowing viewers to stroll through his memories. On this path, we meet Cloar as a young boy. His works introduce us to the people he knew, the adventures he imagined, and the stories he heard. Combining memory with photographs from his childhood in Arkansas, every moment is depicted in a unique style that defies adherence to any particular school of art. Cloar saw his art as understated social criticism, and through it we can sense the social tensions that permeated life around him. His simplistic yet striking approach creates an air of intrigue, drawing us in to the personal and often mysterious nature of his works.

Energies of the Universe: Dogon Figures of Spirituality

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The Dogon are an ethnic group that has a population today of around 600,000 members. They are based in Mali but spread across the border and into Burkina Faso.

Origin stories of the Dogon are passed down through an oral history that claims that they originated on the West Bank of the Niger River in the 10th/13th centuries. Later, they emigrated to Burkina Faso and settled in the Bandiagara cliffs. Communities are grouped in villages that are headed by a male senior, who is the common ancestor of all the extended families within the area.

Most of the Dogon live in rocky hills, mountains, and highlands. Despite this difficult landscape, many are farmers and agricultural workers, while craftsmen form a different caste in their social system. Other important members of their society include the Hogan. These figures are powerful men who preside over the whole country. The supreme Hogan act as a symbol of the Dogon creation mythology, which controls much of how the Dogon organize their culture and society. 

Artistically, the Dogon are known for their intricate mask carvings and wooden art while their blacksmiths can create amazing metal, mostly iron, pieces. Many of these objects have spiritual connections or act as catalysts to ancestors and the energies of the universe. 

Hindsight 2020

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Working closely with their mentors, a team of student curators and graphic designers at AMUM organized Hindsight 2020 to commemorate the impact of 2020 on individuals, society and the arts. Topics addressed include, but are not limited to, the COVID-19 pandemic, racial injustices and the psychological impact of social isolation. The artists in the exhibition mainly self-identify as outside of the traditional mainstream art world. 

“The exhibition features impactful artists, both local and out-of-state, early-career and seasoned,” said Student Curator Erica Vanhaute. “The artworks express the emotional core of the issues that consumed us in 2020 and whose lingering and ongoing effects we face today."