Savannah African Art Museum Lecture Series
Learn about current exhibitions, conservation projects, the Museum's rich collection, and other topics through talks by Edwin Hamilton Johnson, PhD.
All classes and lectures are free to the public by registering through the Eventbrite links below or by joining our Facebook Live feed.
All of our classes and lectures are held on the second floor of the Upbeat Village Terracotta Gallery and are stair access only. To accommodate guests with mobility issues, an online version of this lecture will be provided through Facebook Live.
If you plan on attending the class in person, seating is limited, so you must register through the individual Eventbrite links below.
Visualizing Dominance
Friday, June 24, 2022 | 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm
The first class in this series is called ‘Visualizing Dominance’ and it is about kingship, feudalism, and the arts of the royal court. Kings and other sovereigns are powerful people who wish to sustain and gain power. While a sovereign’s rule over his kingdom is dependent on political, economic, and military factors, it is the theater of the royal court that perpetuates the aura of power around the king. Visual representations of royal power and political dominance take the form of regalia, accouterments, and architecture, which will be touched upon in this lecture. Examples featured in this episode are derived from Western, Central, and Southern African royal courts.
Download the lecture power point here!
Kuba Society in
the Wake of Empires
Friday, August 19, 2022 | 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm
The Royal Courts of the Kuba Kingdom will take place in Central Africa which is known as the cradle and graveyard of many African Empires. While empires and kingdoms rise and fall, the Kuba Kingdom remains an African kingdom that continues to be the envy of the various chiefdoms and fiefdoms that surround it. Notable for courtly grace and artistic sophistication, the Kuba Kingdom is an example of a regime that is comprised of nineteen ethnic groups and a monarch that holds the state together through order, organization, and the granting of titles to powerful men. Like the king himself, these titleholders are patrons of the arts, glorified by regalia, ensconced in fine houses, and swathed in refined civility. This all takes place under the firm, but serene, control of the descendent of Woot, the legendary embodiment of Kuba kingship.
Download the lecture power point here!
The Royal Courts of the Cameroon Grasslands
Friday, September 16, 2022 | 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm
**This lecture was rescheduled from July 29
‘The Royal Courts of the Cameroon Grasslands’ will pay special focus on a very unique region. Not only is it a geographical zone made up of rolling hills, forests and grassy fields, it features cultures which are both distinct, but also similar in a variety of ways. We are looking at a region that has been shaped by both internal and external factors which have transformed the region greatly and have shaped a series of kingdoms built on royal lineages and global connections. These symbols of power include palaces, courtly arts, and elite societies of the Bamun, Bamileke, and the Kom.