Department of Conflict Resolution Studies Faculty Presents on African Art and Peacebuilding, Meaning and Representation at NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale

Ismael Muvingi, Ph.D., faculty in the Department of Conflict Resolution Studies in NSU’s College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (CAHSS), gave a guest presentation at the NSU Art Museum Ft Lauderdale on Saturday, May 11, 2019. Muvingi’ s topic: African Art and Peacebuilding, Meaning and Representation the event was well attended.

Muvingi presented an overview of the place of art in the African universe. Several of the themes he explored included, the vastness of Africa and diversity of its art forms which range from realist depiction to pure abstract, the integration of the aesthetic and the functional in the art forms, and the range of representations African art serves to portray. Muvingi explained that African art forms often mediate between the present world and the spiritual world, fostering communication and harmony between the two universes. The art also serves as a medium for telling stories, for expressing trauma too deep to articulate in words, and for facilitating reconciliation following the agony and destruction of violence. For many in the audience, this was a first encounter with African art forms. Attendees learned about the size and diversity of the African continent, the transportation of African art forms to other continents influencing such art icons as Picasso, and the complexity of African art. Muvingi brought his own artifact to pass around to attendees. The presentation was part of the NSU Art Museum lecture series.