At the entrance to the exhibit "Baule: African Art/Western Eyes" at the Yale University Art Gallery stands a thatch-roofed house with elaborately carved shutters, such as might be seen in any Baule village on the Ivory Coast of West Africa. Across from the recreated residence is a group of Baule artworks contained in a spotlit plexiglass case, such as might be found in any Western museum.
The juxtaposition of these two displays is designed to underscore a main theme of the exhibit: the contrasting ways in which aesthetic objects are viewed in the Baule (pronounced "bough- lay") culture and in the West.
"Art cannot be described from a Baule point of view simply because their view does not include 'art' in the Western sense of the word," explains Susan Mullin Vogel, the Henry J. Heinz II Director of the Yale Art Gallery and a longtime scholar of African art, who curated the exhibit. "In the early years of my field work I, with my museum background, placed high value on the tangible, man-made art-object while they focused on the spiritual presence associated with the object and only marginally on its physical form.
"Perhaps," she suggests, "the objects yield the most satisfaction to those who try to experience them both ways at once."
Approximately one million people living mainly in central Ivory Coast identify themselves as Baule. In fact, they are one of the largest ethnic groups in the country and have played an influential role in the nation's history, says Ms. Vogel. The Baule waged the longest war of resistance to French colonization of any West African people and maintained their traditional objects, customs and beliefs longer than other groups in such constant contact with European administrators, traders and missionaries, she notes.
"Baule: African Art/Western Eyes," which opens at the gallery on Saturday, Aug. 30, is the first museum exhibit to present the broad range of aethestic objects created by Baule artists. The 135 pieces in the exhibit -- from gold jewelry to sculptures to everyday objects -- have been drawn from 60 public and private collections in the United States, Europe and Africa. The show will continue through Sunday, Jan. 4.
The exhibit is divided into four main sections featuring recreated Baule village settings that illuminate particular ways of looking at art.
The section titled "The Private: Art that is Glimpsed" features human-figure sculptures made for personal shrines. Wall labels explain, with quotes from Baule individuals, the role of these "spirit spouses," which the Baule believe should not be looked at by anyone but the owner, says Ms. Vogel.
Mblo and Goli masks worn by dancers for celebratory events are on view in the section "Performances: Art that is Watched." Visitors can also watch a short video of such an event in a Baule village in which one of the exhibited masks was worn.
"The Sacred: Art that is Seen Without Looking" includes the most visually restricted of all Baule artworks. These include ancestral gold objects that are displayed, but not meant to be stared at, during funerals; men's masks worn at ceremonies only males may witness; and human and monkey figures believed to be inhabited by powerful bush spirits, which are used by trance diviners. While the Baule believe these objects and rituals are mortally dangerous for women to view, they also have ceremonies that are for women's eyes only, explains Ms. Vogel. A video of women's rites is shown in a closed-off area in this section.
The final section, "Decorated Objects: Art that is Visible to All," features an array of artfully decorated everyday objects, from pulleys and loom beaters used in weaving to water vessels, spoons, ointment pots, combs, stools and slingshots. Highlighting this section is an elaborately carved, five-foot-tall drum.
Visitors can also learn more about Baule culture and actually handle objects created by Baule artists in an orientation room located near the exhibition. An illustrated book written by Ms. Vogel to accompany the exhibit has been co-published by the Yale Art Gallery and the Yale University Press. It is available in the Yale Art Gallery museum shop.
A number of special programs will be offered in conjunction with "Baule: African Art/Western Eyes," including talks, performances, a film series, family programs and a symposium. Ms. Vogel will lead an introductory tour of the exhibit at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 9, and at noon on Thursday, Sept. 11. Watch the Yale Bulletin & Calendar for notices of other upcoming events.
After its Yale showing, "Baule: African Art/Western Eyes" will travel to the Art Institute of Chicago and, then, to the Museum for African Art in New York.
Support for the exhibition and accompanying book has been provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities and other federal agencies, The Rockefeller Foundation, The Andrew Mellon Foundation, and The Mary and James Fosburgh '33 and the Andrew W. Mellon Publication Fund. Additional support was provided by the deHavenon family, in memory of Gaston T. deHavenon, and Don H. Nelson.
The Yale University Art Gallery is open to the public free of charge 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday and 1-6 p.m. on Sunday. The gallery is located at the corner of Chapel and York streets; a museum entrance for persons using wheelchairs is located at 201 York St. For further information about access, call 432-0606. For general information about the Yale Art Gallery and its programs, call 432-0600.