Glass Beads Of Ghana Opens At Newark Museum

Glass Beads of Ghana, on view through June 15, 2009, will feature hundreds of contemporary beads, as well as historic examples of this distinctive, yet often overlooked, art form that attests to the creativity and ingenuity of Africa's artists.

The exhibition focuses primarily on the contemporary creation and use of glass beads in southern Ghana, with an emphasis on recent innovations. Video footage and contextual photographs, along with examples of bead molds and tools, highlight the technological process of making beads. The exhibition also includes a recreation of a Ghanaian market stall, complete with touchable examples of these colorful beads. The majority of works in the exhibition are from The Newark Museum's own extensive collection, one of the few such collections in the world. Glass Beads of Ghana is based on the extensive field and archival research of Dr. Suzanne Gott Assistant Professor of Aboriginal and Visual Arts, Brandon University, Manitoba, Canada, who has developed the exhibition for The Newark Museum, along with the Museum's Curator of Africa, the Americas and the Pacific, Dr. Christa Clarke.

"Although the artistic tradition is a localized one, the beads themselves truly reflect a global world," remarked Dr. Clarke. "Ghanaian artists have long used glass imported from Europe and north Africa to create these beads. More recently, glass beads made in Ghana have begun to be exported to overseas markets where they are admired and appreciated by jewelry-lovers everywhere."

Ghanaian artists began creating powder-glass beads as early as the16th century, using glass obtained through trans-Saharan and trans-Atlantic trade. Imported glass trade beads and also glass bottles, were ground into powder to make more affordable, local versions of costly imported beads. Bead making from recycled glass remains a continually evolving art today. Beads are formed using clay molds that are filled with powdered glass and then placed in an earthen, wood-fired kiln. Elaborate designs are created by employing a variety of ingenious techniques involving the painstaking addition of contrasting colored glass powder.

Beads are associated with spiritual powers in southern Ghana, and the wearing of beads, especially rare older beads or great quantities of beads, is a time-honored means of expressing wealth, status, and prestige. In many Ghanaian cultures, "waist beads" are the most fundamental form of female dress and adornment, traditionally worn resting upon a woman's hips from infancy on. Beads continue to play meaningful roles in major life cycle events of women, including the Krobo girls coming-of-age rites (known as dipo) and Asante funerals.

In addition to exploring the history, context and creation of glass beads, the exhibition emphasizes recent artistic developments in southern Ghana. Translucent beads began to be created in the 1980s, using larger glass fragments to retain the transparency of glass, and have become a major new bead form. During the past five years, new "painted" beads inspired by Venetian millefiori designs have become increasingly popular. The creation of new bead forms has invigorated the glass bead industry and attracted new bead artists, ensuring the viability and growth of this distinctive artistic tradition. -- www.newarkmuseum.org