Details of The American Library Collection (Activists), a large-scale installation made of books wrapped in Dutch wax print fabric by  Britain-Nigerian artist. Image: Mead Art Museum

ART NEWS

Mead Art Museum at Amherst College in Western Massachusetts acquires The American Library Collection (Activists) by Yinka Shonibare MBE and makes it the center of discussion at the school.

BY KAZAD

AMHERST, MASSACHUSETTS-The Mead Art Museum at Amherst College in Western Massachusetts has acquired a large-scale installation by the Britain-Nigerian artist Yinka Shonibare MBE. Titled The American Library Collection (Activists), the work comprises 234 books wrapped in Dutch wax print fabric. The books display the names of first- and second-generation American activist and writers from across the political spectrum. Inscribed in gold foil on the spines of each book are names like Cesar Chavez, Mary McLeod Bethune, Grace Lee Boggs, Gordon Kiyoshi Hirabayashi, and Sonia Sotomayor, among others.

The acquisition of The American Library Collection (Activists) is part of Mead’s ongoing initiatives that bring attention to often hidden narratives found throughout the history of art and ideas. The purpose is to help audiences connect those hidden historic narratives to present-day challenges facing different communities.

David Little, the director and chief curator of the Mead Art Museum, said in a statement, “Yinka Shonibare’s library highlights the vital, complex, and important contributions of American immigrants, and the descendants of immigrants, who brought forward ideas that represent a spectrum of social and political thought.”

In the face of the recent contentious debate about immigration, Little notes that the artist, through his work, “invites viewers to consider the varied people and cultural sources that inform our sense of history and culture, and shape our perceptions of our own place within it. With brightly-colored fabric, Shonibare presents to us the names of activists whose ideas may appeal to us—or appall us”

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Furthermore, Little contends that the acquisition of the work allows for intellectual engagement and open discussion within Amherst College. “At a time when questions of academic and intellectual freedom can be so contentious on college campuses and in the mass media, bringing this work to Amherst College supports our ongoing efforts to embrace open debate and discussion and seek ways in which art and artists can support these conversations,” he said.

The American Library Collection (Activists) will go on public display at the Mead Art Museum October 30 as part of the fourth iteration of the Museum’s Rotherwas Project series of focused installations.  In conjunction with the public opening for the installation, the museum will host a debate among Amherst College faculty members from American studies, economics, political science, and other departments that will focus on global migrations of people, commodities, and ideas. The objective of the debate according to the museum is to provide “a model for a model for how students can facilitate constructive discussion of sensitive topics.”

The acquisition of Yinka Shonibare’s The American Library Collection (Activists) by Mead Art Museum at Amherst College in Western Massachusetts has generated debates about history and migration. What do you think about the fact that the work has become a conversational piece? Share your thoughts and leave a comment.