Mellon Diversifying the Field

Exploring Modern African Art

A Chrysler Museum of Art and
Hampton University Museum Partnership

NEH fellow in paintings conservation, Katie Rovito, and Andrew W. Mellon curatorial fellow, Tashae Smith, sat down to discuss the Modern Nigerian artist, Afi Ekong and the conservation of her painting Grief. The treatment of this piece was completed by Katie who mended tears in the canvas and inpainted cracks in the paint.
Grief by Afi Ekong was conserved for display in the upcoming exhibition, Sankofa: Constructing Modern African Art. This exhibition will open on April 12, 2024, at Hampton University Museum. The companion exhibition, I Am Copying Nobody: The Art and Political Cartoons of Akinola Lasekan, will open on April 13, 2024, at the Chrysler Museum of Art. Visit The Exhibitions tab to learn more about these two exhibitions.

Learn more:

Artist Talk: Grief by Chief Lady Constance Afiong Ekong

Mending Tears in Afi Ekong’s Grief

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