"MASTERWORKS OF AFRICAN ART" ON EXHIBIT AT U.VA. ART MUSEUM THROUGH MAY 4

WHAT: "Masterworks of African Art"
WHEN: Through Sunday, May 4
WHERE: University of Virginia Art Museum, Rugby Road, Charlottesville, Va.

"Masterworks of African Art" features the finest examples of masks, headdresses and carved sculpture by African artisans represented in the University of Virginia Art Museum’s permanent collection. All the objects in the exhibit were made for ceremonial functions.

In many African languages the same word means beautiful and good, thereby giving both aesthetic importance and moral meanings when used to describe these pieces. As evident in these works, values of truth, virtue and power are portrayed in human or animal images to express the moral and spiritual dimensions of the human condition and specific tribal situations.

Benjamin Ray, adjunct curator of African art and a professor in the Department of Religious Studies, organized the exhibition. "The works were created to entertain the eye and to compel the mind and spirit," he said.
Members and the public are invited to view the exhibit during the museum’s Fourth Friday Reception on Friday, March 28, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Ray will give a Gallery Talk in the museum on Sunday, April 6, at 2 p.m. The talk is free and open to the public.
The museum is open to the public free of charge Tuesday through Sunday, 1 to 5 p.m. Limited parking is available in the rear of the museum, which is handicap-accessible.

The University of Virginia Art Museum is located on Rugby Road in the Thomas H. Bayly Building. It is open, free of charge to the public Tuesday through Sunday, 1 to 5 p.m. Limited parking is available in the rear of the building, which is handicap-accessible.

For details about the museum and exhibits, explore the museum’s Web site or call (434) 924-3592.