Also, this year three contemporary works of art were in- 

 stalled on the museum's first-level landing. The newly ex- 

 hibited works are two pots by Magdalene Odundo (b. 

 1950) — "Reduced Angled Spouted Black Piece" (1990) and 

 "Reduced Mixed-Color Symmetrical Piece" (1990) — and 

 "Spoon" (1975) by Sudanese artist Amir I.M. Nour (b. 1939). 



The museum's second-level gallery was the site of two im- 

 portant exhibitions. "Three Explorations: Yoruba, Temne, and 

 Baga," presented curatorial research on three unusual and rare- 

 ly collected works of art recently acquired by the museum. 

 The works — a Yoruba mask, a "Temne" female figure and a 

 Baga ritual object — were explored in terms of attribution, 

 iconography, style, use and meaning, and history. A second 

 major exhibition, "Crowning Achievements: African Arts of 

 Dressing the Head," featured traditional and contemporary 

 African hats, headdresses and hairstyles. The exhibition was 

 organized by the Fowler Museum of Cultural History, Univer- 

 sity of California, Los Angeles. 



Loans 



In a continuing effort to share its premiere collection with 

 communities outside of Washington, the museum made 

 several significant loans this year. Works from the museum's 

 collection were lent to "America's Smithsonian," a traveling 

 exhibition of the Institution's tteasures; "Africa: The Art of a 

 Contmenc," a traveling exhibition organized by the Royal 

 Academy of London and also held at the Martin-Gropius-Bau 

 in Berlin and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New 

 York; and "Rings: Five Passions in the Wotld of Art," an ex- 

 hibition at Atlanta's High Museum of Arc that was developed 

 in conjunction with the summer Olympic Games. 



Education and Outreach 



The museum presented a wide range of public programs this 

 year. Offerings included tours, workshops, lectures, gallery 

 talks, panel discussions, films, musical performances and 

 programs for educators. 



As part of its continued educational programming focusing 

 on ancient Nubia, the museum sponsored a lecture series en- 

 titled "Who were the Ancient Nubians." The series, which 

 drew the largest lecture audience in the museum's history, ex- 

 plored issues raised by "The Ancient Nubian City of Kerma, 

 2500—1500 B.C.," an exhibition of objects on long-term loan 

 from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. 



In conjunction with the popular exhibition, "Crowning 

 Achievements," more than 300 people attended the museum's 

 "Family Fun Day," an all-day event that included hat-making, 

 storytelling, African games and demonstrations of African 

 head-wrapping. 



Another highlight of the year was the museum's par- 

 ticipation in the two-day Birthday Partv on the Mall, 

 celebrating the Smithsonian's 150th anniversary. The 

 museum's outdoor pavilion included African storytelling 

 and musical performances. 



The museum also continues to make itself accessible to 

 people with special needs. Tours for hard-of-hearing visitors 

 were made possible through a portable FM Assistive Listening 

 System. This system also allowed hard-of-hearing visitors to 

 participate in educational programs in the workshop and lec- 

 ture hall. Sign language interpreters for deaf visitors were 

 available upon request for all museum programs. 



Publications 



Throughout che year, the museum published informational 

 materials to accompany exhibitions. This included brochures 

 relating to "Seydou Keita, Photographer: Portraits from 

 Bamako, Mali" and "Ceramic Gestures: New Vessels by Mag- 

 dalene Odundo" and a family guide published in conjunction 

 with the "Crowning Achievements" exhibition. 



In addition, the museum is in the process of publishing a 

 catalog in conjunction with the exhibition "The Ancient 

 Nubian City of Kerma, 2500—1500 B.C." Written by Timothy 

 Kendall, associate curator at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston 

 (which loaned the objects in the exhibition to the National 

 Museum of African Art for a three-year period), the fully il- 

 lustrated book is due out this winter. 



Photographic Archives and Library 



The museum continues to be a leading reseatch and reference 

 center for the visual arts of Africa. The Warren M. Robbins 

 Library, a branch of che Smithsonian Institution Libraries, con- 

 tains more than 20,000 volumes on African art and material 

 culture. The Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives specializes 

 in the collection and preservation of visual materials on 

 African art, culture and the environment. This year, the Ar- 

 chives completed work on the Eliot Elisofon Motion Picture 

 Film Collection Preservation and Classification Project, 

 funded through a grant from the Smithsonian Research 

 Resources Program. 



National Museum of American Art 



Elizabeth Broun. Director 



The National Museum of American Art, the nation's museum 

 dedicated to the arts and artists of the United States from 

 colonial cimes to the present, provides collections and research 

 resources that enable the public and scholars to use and enjoy 

 America's visual arts at the museum and by personal com- 

 puter. The museum, which includes the Renwick Gallery, 

 serves diverse audiences throughout the nation as well as 

 those who visit its two historic landmark buildings in Wash- 

 ington, D.C. 



Among the 12 exhibitions organized and presenced during 

 the Smithsonian's 150th anniversary year were "Metropolitan 



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