A work of art speaks to you, but do you really understand it? Students share their discovery process here, their reaction to visual forms and their gradual uncovering of the layers of meaning through the process of recontextualizing those forms into an appropriate cultural milieu --  working with objects from the Worcester African Cultural Center.  

Comments below come from a class assignment. Students first interpreted six African images, responding to the visual clues provided by each object. After reading about the objects, they reported on the difference between appreciation and comprehension. 

At a young age every child is taught the common phrase, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” They should adapt that old saying, adding: "You can’t figure out a piece of artwork (either) by taking it out of its culture and merely looking at it."    Ethan Prosnit 

The Igbo mask showed me that there is much more to art than  beauty.  Amanda Davis.

Removing a piece of African art from its context is removing it from its definition.
                                                                                                                                     Dallas Burkhardt.

Now that I know the cultural context of the piece, I can give a more accurate and informed interpretation...  Krystal Cooper

The class did a pretty good job of deciphering the artwork based on the image we were given and any previous knowledge we might have had.  I also think that it is necessary to know some background on the culture that made the artwork in order to interpret the piece to its fullest extent.  Meaghan O'Connell.

We got to see how our own cultural contexts affected the way we view objects from another culture and how we can miss the most salient features of the object because we do not understand the history of the culture and the story behind the object.   Ying Tao.    

After reading the culturally informed interpretation of the So'o mask, I was able to understand and reevaluate what I first saw when I observed it, notably the significance of the large, curved, open mouth.  My interpretation of the mouth as a smile was much different from an interpretation of the mouth as "an enormous and grotesque curvature" as the Hemba would see it.  Ashley Auclair.

In my un-researched interpretation of the artwork (Yinka Shonibare's Vacation 2000), I focused on the juxtaposition of a seemingly normal family activity (like playing tag)...and the unrealistic location...outer space signified by the astronaut uniforms...The cultural context presented in the readings didn't change my interpretation but simply expanded it.  Sara Connarley

The historical background and mythological story behind the piece is interesting and the extent of its importance within the society seems incredible.  What I had seen previously was  just  a man playing an instrument or carving something...The piece has a greater, more spiritual meaning to me (now).  Amanda Steel

My interpretation of Yinka Shonibare's Vacation 2000 was not much different from the culturally informed one.  Mine was, "when I look at this I think of astronauts, but I also think of people exploring different aspects of their culture." The artist is also exploring his background...so the article did not change my mind about this work.  Jennifer Cedor.

After reading the article...I have a new interpretation...I see that it is a figure of a woman holding up not a plate, but a seat.   The expression on her face is not of struggle and pain, but the face one makes when she supports extra weight (in this case, the weight of kingship). 
                                                                                                                                                 Pamela Jones.  

Our responses did not come close to grasping the intended meaning and representation of the piece, which goes to show how a sculpture or work of art, which is culturally specific, can be appreciated by the untrained eye.   (At the same time,) much of the original content and meaning is lost.   Sudi Baker.

It was interesting that everyone in the class had the same reaction to the piece, and that reaction was far from the actual purpose...We need to look at this genre of art a lot differently.                                                                                                                                         Michael Berninger

Our observations were overall correct, but the reading helped me actually understand what the “Man in Plain Cap” represented - a spouse in the "other world."  Danielle Chandler.

The guesses we made as a class were not exactly right but some people linked the door to religion.  However, the meaning of the symbols was impossible to derive correctly without knowledge of that religion.  Scott Archibald

A project  by the students of Art 156: Arts of Africa, the Worcester African Cultural Center, and Jean M. Borgatti (editor).

Our thanks to Emil Igwenagu, director, Worcester African Cultural Center and his administrative assistant Alexandra Moreno for their generosity and assistance and to Tracy Axelson, Clark University Software Trainer, who introduced the students from Art 156 to software that enabled  them to create their web pages.