Drawing on the long history of Islamic arts in sub-Saharan Africa, A Saint in the City investigates in depth the vibrant and sophisticated arts of urban Senegal. Underscoring the interconnectedness of art and life, it insightfully penetrates the visual culture of the Mouride Way, a Sufi movement steeped in the mystical teachings of Sheikh Amadou Bamba (1853–1927). It focuses in particular on the ways in which sacred images "work" for people as powerful acts of devotion and prayer. The remarkable proliferation of arts in the city of Dakar, from bold street murals to virtuosic calligraphy and intricate, colorful glass paintings, attests to the transformative potency of images in Mouridism. This way of life, grounded in the dignity and sanctity of work as conveyed by the teachings of Amadou Bamba, is observed by over four million Senegalese--half the Muslim population in this small country--as well as by thousands more around the globe. 
A Saint in the City brings together a range of artists--regardless of background, training, rootedness in the "traditional" medium, or style--who share a belief in the Mouride Way. The book boldly transgresses the boundaries normally enforced between the local and the global, fine art and popular art, the gallery and the street, the historical and the contemporary.

A Saint in the City: Sufi Arts of Urban Senegal

Arts & Photography

Allen F. Roberts

Mary Nooter Roberts

Gassia Armenian

Ousmane Gueye

Religious

Univ of California Museum of

Since the Museum of African Art's founding ten years ago, the ability of museums to neutrally present any art-and especially art as contested as Africa's-has been increasingly challenged. Art objects are its central raison d'etre, but the Museum of African Art has become known for its inquiries into the acts of presenting and looking at African Art. The meanings of the artworks in Africa were multiple and open to debate; however, as were the methods of contextualizing them in museums. Both these arenas still demand research and investigation today. Exhibition-ism is one such investigation, an exhibition that mirrors the process of conceiving and constructing an exhibition.

Exhibition-ism: Museums and African Art

Susan Vogel

Museum for African Art

Devoted to the study and discussion of traditional, contemporary, and popular African arts and expressive cultures.

African Arts Winter 2004

Marla C Berns

Steven Nelson

Doran H Ross

Coleman Center UCLA / MIT Press Journals

Exploring the multiple messages and aesthetic intent of works that creatively incorporate script, both for its literal content as well as the beauty of its form, the book includes 90 exceptional works of art dating from ancient to contemporary times. Inscribing Meaning celebrates the ingenuity and creativity of African artists from around the continent who bring script and graphic forms of communication into a wide range of artworks. Readers will learn about Africa's long history of written languages and literacy, and the spectacular works of art will illustrate a range of indigenous African writing systems that have received little attention outside of Africa as both visually compelling and historically significant forms of art. These include everyday and ritual objects, religious painting and manuscripts, protective talismans, commemorative cloth, public and popular arts, and contemporary painting, sculpture, prints, installation art, photography and video. The volume aims to challenge popula

Inscribing Meaning: Writing and Graphic Systems in African Art

Christine Mullen Kreamer

Elizabeth Harney

Allyson Purpura

History & Criticism

5 Continents Editions Srl

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Books by Mary Nooter Roberts