Anansi Education Auction

Save-the-Date: May 24, 2014!

The evening includes a silent auction and wine reception, delicious dinner, and live auction. Both auctions feature the varied and beautiful artistic traditions of Ghana, providing a tangible connection to the communities Anansi serves. This year, the Anansi Art Auction will be held at the Mt. Baker Community Club in Seattle. Directions to the Mt. Baker Community Club are here.

About the African Art and Artifacts

Every year, Anansi's founder and director, Kathryn Roe, collects masks, sculpture, and art from Ghana and the surrounding region. A background knowledge of West African art and deep network of relationships in Ghana helps her find older pieces, not produced for the tourist market. Much of what we may appreciate as 'art' was created with a practical and everyday spiritual function.

"The objects from Africa that will be presented at the Anansi auction are not tourist decorations. They are real tribal pieces of high museum quality. They are objects that a serious collector of tribal art would want in a private collection. Several of them are old pieces from the early 20th century from the tribes in and around the Ashanti, Yoruba, Senufo, N'gere and Dan tribes and other groups from that area and have the traditional characteristics of the objects used there ritually. Kathryn Roe has selected a beautiful set of figures and masks, large and small, for the auction and serious collectors of tribal arts should attend."

Dr. Thomas Schlotterback, PhD University of Iowa, History of Art, Professor Emeritus Western Washington University. 1965 to 1993. Professor, Art History including the History of Tribal Arts, Chair of Art department 1973 to 1983.

Art Auction Preview

		Chokwe Jewelry Box 9.5” x 4” Throughout time, cultures around the world have created containers for their treasures. This small, carved wooden box from the Chokwe people is a beautiful example of this human desire. The wood of this box is particularly fine and the figural representation classic. Time and use will only enrich its patina and form. The seller in Togo regarded this piece highly.
		Stephanie’s 7 Strand Necklace This elegant necklace made by Stephanie Roe is constructed using Ghanian white glass beads, Indian metal beads, West African accent beads and American blue-green beads.
		Bambara Sculpture 34.5” tall This extravagant sculpture by a Bambara artist from Mali is perhaps related to the religious final dyow, the kore. Devised to allow a person to regain that portion of his spirit that has been lost to the god through the process of reincarnation, the goal of these initiates is to usurp the power of the god and remain on earth, undergoing endless reincarnations.
		Djembe Drum 21.5” tall This beautiful instrument was selected for its superb, professional sound quality and premium skin head. Its one-piece solid body is carved with two Adinkra symbols, NKכNSכNKכNSכN (a chain), which is the symbol of Unity and Human Relations, and BIN NKA BI (No one should bite the other), the symbol of Peace and Harmony. Drumming is inherent to most African cultures. This style of drum originates from the Mali Empire of the 12th century.
		Baulé Mouse Divination Oracle 21.5” tall The Baulé diviner, a respected member within the community, possesses the combined skills of priest and fortuneteller. Diviners often travel with the Mouse Divination Oracle to offer their services to those in need. A field mouse lives inside the vessel. In the process of eating, its movements arrange batons, which are then “read” to see into an individual’s past and foretell his or her future.
		Ewe Mask 25” tall An Ewe carver from Togo carved this protective “Healing Mask,” designed for use in African living quarters to help with illnesses. The use of the natural formation of the wood to define shapes within this piece gives it an organic feel not far removed from its origin.
		Mali Dogon Mask 40” tall The Dogon are an ethnic group living in the central plateau region of Mali. Dogon art, primarily sculpture, revolves around religious values, ideals, and freedoms. The two small figures on the top of this mask represent the first human couple to which the Dogon trace their origin. The higher part of the cross symbolizes the supernatural world, and the lower part symbolizes the society world. In ritual ceremonies, the dancer wearing this mask would point the cross towards the ground to connect earth and heaven.
		Senufo Bird with Brass 21” tall The customs and beliefs of the Senufo inspired this impressive sculpture. The bird is known as a hornbill. The Senufo believe it (along with the tortoise, crocodile, chameleon and serpent) is one of the first living creatures on earth. The long, phallic beak touching its swollen belly, suggesting pregnancy, represents the dual forces of the male and female. It symbolizes the need for both components to ensure the continuity of the whole community.
		South African Safari 5 days/4 nights This is the experience of a lifetme: five days/four nights at the renowned Ezulwini Game Lodge in South Africa featuring luxurious accommodations located in the heart of Greater Kruger National Park. After a day of viewing the “Big 5” -elephants, rhinos, lions, leopards and cape buffalo- relax by the pool and listen to the magical sounds of the African bush at sundown. Enjoy famous local wines and chef-prepared local cuisine in luxurious accommodations. Includes all meals, twice-daily open vehicle viewing drives accompanied by a professional field guide and tracker, and spotlight drives at night.
		Baulé Scorpion Mask 19” tall This lovely West African mask was sold to us by a gentleman in the Art Center in Accra who said it was made by a Baulé carver. It is unique among the Baulé forms that we have offered in the past.
		Large Baulé Man with Beard 15.5” tall This charming male Baulé figure is a good example of the carver’s description of the ideal human form. This ideal includes balanced proportions, a lovely depiction of the hair and facial scarification. The manner in which he strokes his beard in contemplation gives him an air of wisdom, the specifics of which we wish he could share.
		Crafty’s Necklace and Dinner Rings 22” x 8.5” Crafty, a renowned Ghanaian artist who has shared his work with Anansi for the past ten years, made this necklace featuring very old and valuable red African beads. He bought the matching dinner rings during on a trip to Mali several years ago. These items are a donation from the collection of Kathryn Roe.
		Tall Red Modern Baulé Spirit Spouse 5’ 7” tall The Baulé of Cote d’Ivoire believe in a parallel spirit world. A troubled marital relationship in this world can indicate that a person’s spirit spouse has been neglected. These sculptures are kept and tended in the home to create tranquil family relationships. Colonial Baulé figures from the first quarter of the 20th century often emulate figures of success and authority such as students, businessmen, police, soldiers, clergy and government officials.
		Nigerian Koro Wedding Vessel 23” tall This wooden “Wedding Pot” was carved by the Koro people near the settlement of Lokoja in central Nigeria, where the Niger and Benue Rivers meet. The vessel was designed to carry gifts from the groom’s family to the members of the bride’s family during the wedding festivities. It is regarded as a precious art object. The anthropomorphic cup at the belly level of the male figures is a traditional Koro motif designated for the drinking of wine at festivals.
		African Feral Cat 22” long This contemporary representation of a wild African cat was carved from a dense wood and then covered in a colorful array of beads. It is a quite magnificent figure that would create drama in any setting.