Friday, April 18, 2014

"Africa in Relation" panel @ University of South Florida, Tampa

Today, I had the wonderful opportunity to return to my alma mater, University of South Florida, Tampa to participate in "Africa in Relation," a panel featuring two friends who have ties the USF Art program: the artist Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons who showed at the USF Art Museum many years ago, and the art historian Amanda Carlson who was a Stuart Golding Chair, and presently a professor at University of Hartford. Organized as part of events celebrating the memory of Roberta Golding who many years ago endowed at USF, the first chair of African art in the US, in memory of her husband Stuart Golding (their daughter Sarah Scher came). Many of my teachers there, including Mernet Larson and David Wright, are now retired, and Brad Nickels, a great teacher and free soul, is now late. But it was so wonderful to see Wally Wilson (artist and presently director of the School) and art historian Elizabeth Fraser from whom I learned so much and who helped make USF a place of refuge, after the dark days at Nsukka. I remain every grateful to them, to Mrs Golding and to the University where I made my first forays into this business of art history.   






Amanda Carlson, Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons, and grad student, Amanda  in front of the USF Contemporary Art Museum


Wally Wilson, Director of the School of Art and Art History, USF

Wally, Sarah Scher, Amanda Carlson and Amanda 

Wally, Amanda  and Maria Magdalena 

Wally Wilson and Elizabeth Fraser my good professors at USF




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