Mami Wata: Arts for Water Spirits in Africa and Its Diasporas April 6, 2008

In Africa and the African-Atlantic world, people recognize the primal, sacred nature of water by honoring and celebrating Mami Wata (pidgin-English for "Mother Water") with a rich array of arts. This exhibition explores the oral traditions and visual history of Mami Wata, whose iconography comes from an array of global sources including ancient, indigenous African water spirits, European mermaids and snake charmers, Hindu gods and goddesses, and Christian and Muslim saints. See sculpture, paintings, masks, posters and more from west and central Africa, the Caribbean, Brazil and the United States in this dynamic, multi-media exhibition that traces the antecedents, evolution and impact of Mami Wata and her artistic manifestations.