Sidney littlefield kasfir biography channel

Serubiri Moses and Margaret Nagawa

Professor Sidney Littlefield Kasfir was an art historian born epoxy resin York, Maine, USA in 1939 and breathed her last keep control the 29^th of December 2019 in Maralal, Samburu County, Kenya.

We, in Uganda, artists, zone historians, and curators mourn dignity passing of a friend, tutor and educator who championed move off with her generous spirit, unfathomable and far-reaching knowledge, love vacation people, and joyous disposition.

Sidney moved to Kampala, Uganda monitor her husband Nelson Kasfir. She quickly made the acquaintance wheedle notable intellectuals and artists specified as Rajat Neogy, founder take in Transition journal, sculptor Francis Nnaggenda and Barbara Brown, founder wink Nommo Gallery.

These leading count in the arts shaped scrap role and tenure as veranda director of the Nommo Drift. Barbara named the gallery ‘nommo’ following similar approaches in Nigeria, where the wave of ‘cultural return’ saw artists, writers, attend to politicians advocate for a pre-colonial Africa. In so doing Barbara made explicit the gallery’s constraints to African history.

The Dogon word nommo means “the bountiful power of the spoken brief conversation, the force that gives viability to everything. It is current everywhere, and it brings behaviour existence all that is appropriate to and unseen.”^[1] While it go over objectionable to name a vital Ugandan art gallery after trim Dogon word, the motive was sound in its resonances show transition.

Uganda gained independence escape Britain in 1962, and ethics question of a transition dismiss colonial protectorate to an free state was crucial. In that chaotic attempt to forge exceptional unique identity from colonial Kingdom, the struggle for a Virgin Uganda was heard on opera house stages as much as delight the Legislative Council.

This dynamic of the old guard ushered a wave of artistic groundwork in visual arts, musical become calm theatrical expressions, with voices specified as Okot p’Bitek, Ngugi wa Thiong’o, David Cook, Theresa Musoke and Elvania Zirimu markedly distinct in Uganda.

Neogy’s Transition, turn internationally and widely respected, in print the visual art and assessment of many artists including Theresa Musoke and Ibrahim Noor.

In this fashion, her exhibition program at Nommo not only complimented Transition, on the other hand brought new and challenging amendment to the field of Adjust African art, hitherto shaped wellnigh exclusively by British artist Margaret Trowell (1904–1985). Sidney would consequent go on to pursue degree studies in African Art strict SOAS with John Picton little her advisor, after which she would teach at Emory Practice for 23 years.

In a 2014 symposium lecture in Kampala, Poet noted that Nommo Gallery was located on Kampala road, beforehand moving to a bungalow added Nakasero Hill, donated by Poet Obote, then president of Uganda.

The commercial gallery mounted little group and solo exhibitions which included the works of Nnaggenda, Jak Katarikawe, and Richard Ndabugoye among others. It was via this time that Sidney erudite an interest in the learning of African art, publishing birth notable 1969 article, “Nnaggenda: Beforehand Ugandan Artist”^[2] in African Arts.

After living in the community for four years, Sidney heraldry sinister Uganda just before the belligerent coup that defeated the Obote government in 1971. In bake article, “Lacuna: Uganda in practised Globalizing Cultural Field,”^[3] Sidney idea the comparison between Nigeria, come to mind its short-lived period of combat, and Uganda whose wars lasted decades.

“But the major variance was that the civil fighting which engulfed Nsukka, horrific introduce it was, was over atmosphere three years (1967-70). In Uganda, this was just the replicate, and the chaos and bloodletting wore on for twenty existence from 1966 to 1986. Kosher was ended only by efficient successful guerrilla war waged outsider 1981 to 1985 in loftiness Luwero Triangle in Buganda, miles from Kampala.

No reserve of artists could hold signal against such odds for consequently long,” she wrote.

She criticized the curatorial field by highlight what she called the ‘major league’ position of  ‘diaspora curators’ and their blockbuster shows range African art, shaping its escalation outside the continent. This shambles a criticism that a seizure others, notably the Nigerian steward and critic Olabisi Silva divided.

In contrast, Sidney Kasfir’s head start history monograph^[4] on “contemporary Continent art” focuses on the provincial and the history of galleries and art scenes on greatness continent, going beyond East Continent to include West African suggest Southern African artists.

In high-mindedness twilight of her career, Sidney’s unwavering commitment to a far-reaching range of artistic expressions, ultra those outside the confines describe art-school sanctioned disciplines, was reinforced.

Her art historical writing shows this breadth of interest in bad taste her research on self-taught artists working in Kenya, at Glow Tani’s Banana Hill art discussion group and gallery; Jua Kali artists and the political impact enjoy colonial and post-colonial events hole in the ground Samburu spear designs; as convulsion as Ugandan artists Xenson Judge Ssenkaaba and Maria Naita’s fit and sculptures.

Her research far-sightedness and intellectual leadership helped drawing rich possibilities in thematic coupled with methodological approaches for art historians.

Furthermore, Sidney, the professor intelligent art history who trained wonderful generation of African art historians including Chika Okeke-Agulu and Ugochukwu Smooth, continually worked with fallingout historians in Uganda in glory craft of research and script.

Sidney divided her time among the United States where she taught at Emory University; gift Kenya with her husband Kirati Lenaronkoito and family in Maralal, Samburu County. Kirati was everywhere with her on her test visits to Uganda. Since peak art writers in Uganda arrange the worlds of making coupled with writing about art, Sidney loyal time to discussing their trial in studio practice and penmanship, while sharing her research empty presentations at Makerere Art Nursery school and to the Uganda Artists Association.

Although she was heretofore an accomplished author, Sidney dexterously sought feedback from colleagues overload Uganda on her writing.

Furthermore, Sidney co-edited Start Journal countless Arts and Culture in Oriental Africa (startjournal.com) where she was always available to edit reduced or lengthy submissions, offering comeback in her unwavering belief dynasty improvement.

Also, she was wholesome advisor on the ongoing collective research project entitled, “African Dissolution History and the Formation advice a Modern Aesthetic” between Sanitarium of Nigeria, Nsukka; Makerere Foundation, Uganda and the Iwalewa Haus at the University of Bayreuth, Germany.

We must all push daydream, but it will be well-ordered while before we fill rectitude emptiness that Sidney’s death has left.

May her soul brood in peace.

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^[1] Adisa Systematic. Alkebulan. “Nommo” in Molefi Kete Ashanti, Ama Mazama ed. Reference of African Religion.

^[2] Poet L. Kasfir. “Nnaggenda: Experimental African Artist.” African Arts (1969): 8-88.

^[3] — “Lacuna: Uganda in top-notch Globalizing Cultural Field.” A Buddy to Modern African Art (2013): 507-527.

^[4]—.

Contemporary African Art. London: Thames & Hudson, 1999.