{"title":"Christine Mullen Kreamer","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"objects-as-envoys-book-christine-mullen-kreamer-9780295981963","title":"Objects as Envoys","description":"In 1886, Queen Ranavalona III of the African island nation of Madagascar offered U.S. President Grover Cleveland two striking handwoven silk textiles. The American government later reciprocated with an autographed photographic portrait of the president. Although on the surface a straightforward diplomatic exchange, the objects used--and the ideas behind them--reveal a wealth of information about the culture and history of Madagascar, and its relations with the West.  The essays in Objects as Envoys contextualize and explain the broader significance of this exchange, deftly interweaving discussions of cloth production, international diplomacy, and popular representations of Madagascar and the Malagasy people in Europe and the United States. Together they tell a fascinating story of the people and history of this island country.  The first two essays provide a comprehensive survey of Madagascar's textiles, past and present. They examine the importance of cloth to the Malagasy, both as creative works of art and as objects imbued with great social and cultural significance. From simple cotton wrappers and raffia work shirts to delicately textured, vibrantly colored silk lama, textiles--the quintessential Malagasy gift--have been used in Madagascar to mark ethnic and gender identity, to indicate status and power relations, to create and renegotiate social ties, to serve as tribute to the dead, and to promote diplomatic overtures to foreign nations. When used as envoys, however, objects are likely to acquire new meanings, as recipients re-interpret and use them according to their own cultural understandings.  The little-known history of American-Malagasy ties is explored through the compelling biography of John Lewis Waller, an African American born into slavery who, as the American consul to Madagascar from 1891 to 1894, both supported Madagascar's independence and dreamed of establishing an all-black colony there.  The exchanges--and also the misunderstandings--that have characterized the meetings between Madagascar and Western nations and peoples are further examined through a study of the ways in which 19th-century photographs and other visual images were used by Westerners to create stereotypes of the Malagasy and by the Malagasy themselves to create and project identities of their own choosing.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49653492580625,"sku":"GOR010160353","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50120905130257,"sku":"GOR007129476","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0295981962.jpg?v=1751195837"},{"product_id":"african-art-works-book-christine-mullen-kreamer-9781588348210","title":"African Art Works","description":"\u003cb\u003eThis stunning tribute to African art features more than 200 photos, paintings, sculptures, and textiles from the Smithsonian's National Museum of African Art's collections.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e This marvelous volume features the African art collection of Michigan state legislator Jack Faxon (1936-2020) bequeathed to the Smithsonian's National Museum of African Art. \u003ci\u003eAfrican Art Works\u003c\/i\u003e looks at how artists, communities, and collectors have sought to make change in their own personal lives, in their social interactions, and in their relationships to the world and beyond, through art.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eAfrican Art Works\u003c\/i\u003e places Faxon's collection in conversation with mid-20th to 21st-century works from the museum to look at how artists across the range of time, media, and geographies the museum collects solved problems, such as:\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cul\u003e \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eCultivating healthy relationships with the environment\u003c\/b\u003e: A 20th-century crest mask used in performances that honor the Ijo community's relationship with water is paired with a 2016 statue \u003ci\u003eTree Woman\u003c\/i\u003e by Wangechi Mutu depicting a body intertwined with nature.\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eConserving scarce resources\u003c\/b\u003e: An early to mid-20th-century milk pail used by a Zulu community paired with a 2013 haute couture dress that serves as a powerful statement about the richness of Africa's resources and the violence they can spark.\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eCalling community together in danger\u003c\/b\u003e: An early 20th century slit gong that can carry powerful sound over long distances and could help notify a community of threat is paired with a 1970 etching depicting the fear and anxiety during Nigeria's civil war.\u003c\/li\u003e \u003c\/ul\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Essays reflect on the role of art as a call to action, the act of collecting African art, and Jack Faxon's legacy driven by his work in the arts, education, and public service. \u003ci\u003eAfrican Art Works\u003c\/i\u003e is a stunning and enlightening tribute to art that works to transform the world.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":53654341124369,"sku":"NGR9781588348210","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/9781588348210.jpg?v=1781303204"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.worldofbooks.com\/en-gb\/collections\/author-books-by-christine-mullen-kreamer.oembed","provider":"World of Books ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}