Once seen as a collection of artifacts and ritual objects, African art now commands respect from museums and collectors. Bennetta Jules-Rosette and J.R. Osborn explore the reframing of African art through case studies of museums and galleries in the United States, Europe, and Africa.

The authors take a three-pronged approach. Part One ranges from curiosity cabinets to virtual websites to offer a history of ethnographic and art museums and look at their organization and methods of reaching out to the public. In the second part, the authors examine museums as ecosystems and communities within communities, and they use semiotic methods to analyze images, signs, and symbols drawn from the experiences of curators and artists. The third part introduces innovative strategies for displaying, disseminating, and reclaiming African art. The authors also propose how to reinterpret the art inside and outside the museum and show ways of remixing the results.

Drawing on extensive conversations with curators, collectors, and artists, African Art Reframed is an essential guide to building new exchanges and connections in the dynamic worlds of African and global art.

|List of Illustrations
Foreword by Simon Njami
Preface and Acknowledgments
Introduction: Reframing African Art

PART I: ENTERING MUSEUMS AT THE THRESHOLD
CHAPTER 1. Lost and Found: Postcolonial Reflections on Colonial Museums
CHAPTER 2. Revisiting the Storeroom: Collections and Cultural Surplus
CHAPTER 3. Reaching Out: Museums, Audiences, and the Public Sphere

PART II: DIALOGUES ON MUSEUM PRACTICES AND ART WORLDS
CHAPTER 4. Museums Speak Out: Curators' Dialogues
CHAPTER 5. Agitating African Art: Artists' Voices and Audience Responses

PART III: UNMIXING AFRICAN ART AND REMIXING THE RESULTS
CHAPTER 6. The Theory and Method of Unmixing
CHAPTER 7. Remixing the Results and Looking Ahead
CHAPTER 8. Personal Journeys and Reflections on African Art

Chronology
Notes
Bibliography
Index|"At just under 400 pages, this splendid and impressively researched book has eight chapters that divide thematically into three parts. . . . The main themes centre around artworks, artists, museum exhibits and others, while interviews with artists and curators close each chapter." —Theory, Culture, and Society
"The authors' enthusiasm for their analytical approach is admirable . . . very timely and insightful work." —Ethnic and Racial Studies
​"Jules-Rosette and Osborne succeed in their intention to illustrate a historical reconstituting of public perception of the African object—from ethnographic curiosity, to influence on other artistic movements, to embrace of the gamut of creative expression." —Choice
|Bennetta Jules-Rosette is Distinguished Professor of Sociology and director of the African and African-American Studies Research Center at the University of California, San Diego. Her books include Josephine Baker in Art and Life: The Icon and Image, Black Paris: The African Writers' Landscape, and The Messages of Tourist Art. J.R. Osborn is an associate professor of communication, culture, and technology at Georgetown University. He is the author of Letters of Light: Arabic Script in Calligraphy, Print, and Digital Design.