The exhibition was funded in part by the San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture, the County of San Diego Community Enhancement Program and Mingei International’s Exhibition Fund established with an initial gift from The Parker Foundation.
An exhibition organized by Mingei International Museum utilizing its permanent collection combined with select loans. It included large portions of the exhibition AFRICAN FORMS, which was organized and previously exhibited at the Museum for African Art in New York and curated by Frank Herreman, Director of Exhibitions at the Museum for African Art.
Accompanying the exhibition was _African Forms_ by Marc Ginzberg, published by Skira with a Foreword by Jack Lenor Larsen, and photography by Lynton Gardiner.
This was thought to be the most comprehensive exhibition ever presented of arts of daily life from the continent of Africa. Included were exquisite examples of furniture, utensils, shields, apparel, adornment, musical instruments, architectural elements, ceramics, baskets, currency and ritual and ceremonial objects fashioned from wood, glass, clay, horn, bone, ivory, feathers, trade beads, hides, shells, silver, bronze and iron. Represented were 32 countries and 128 cultures from across the continent.
Honored guests for the Members’ Opening were collector and author Marc Ginzberg and his wife Denyse, the Honorary Consuls General of Burkina Faso and Liberia and the Honorary Consuls of Madagascar and Malawi. Makeda Dread, Executive Director of San Diego’s World Beat, presented renowned musicians _djembe_ player (drum) Bala Car Mguin from Senegal and balophone (precursor to the marimba) player Lansana from Guinea, who performed for the gathering.