Overview

Many existing studies present women’s artistry as a consistent and enduring element of Indigenous culture, emphasizing overarching systems of artistic practices, aesthetic goals, and symbolic repertoires. Brittany Sheldon complicates this image within Northern Ghanaian Women’s Artistry: Visualizing Culture by emphasizing variations in individual training, knowledge, experience, techniques, skills, and ideas that inevitably exist among artists and within their communities. This book traces women’s wall painting, known as bambɔlse, in northern Ghana. Based on extensive observations and numerous interviews, Sheldon digs into women artists’ experiences and knowledge and describes their technical processes. This book delves into the history of bambɔlse, how this tradition has changed over time, and how it is tied to understandings of gender, social hierarchy, cultural identity, and memory. Rather than portraying the tradition as static, Sheldon demonstrates how women adapt their artistry to changing circumstances, including shifting preferences, incentives, markets, and audiences. With its vivid descriptions and detailed discussions, this book brings women artists and their wall paintings to life for readers, and, as such, it is relevant to scholars and students of African art history, anthropology, and gender studies.

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9781666905113

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Reviews

Brittany Sheldon’s detailed narrative takes readers into communities in northern Ghana where women collaborate to paint the walls of their homes. Based on years of close observation, participation, and discussions with women artists, she shares the history of their practice, and dozens of photographs document how the artists have maintained traditional approaches while introducing new elements. The use of locally significant symbols illustrates women’s roles and proper behavior. Their art is also intertwined with local architecture, as the designs reinforce exterior walls and beautify interior rooms. The book is a significant contribution to African women’s art, their agency as artists, and the history of their practice. -- Kathleen Sheldon, University of California, Los Angeles

Author Information

Brittany Sheldon is lecturer at Cal Poly Humboldt in the Art + Film Department.

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