Embracing Traditions

16th–17th century

Unknown

Made in the region now known as Nigeria, these figures show the advanced metalworking skill of Edo craftsman.

British Museum, donated by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.

c. 1785–1790

John Rose (American, 1752/3–1820)

Details of this image show the transference of West African culture to colonial America, including the use of the banjo.

Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Williamsburg, VA.

1959

Unknown

A noted blues musician, Bo Diddley (1928-2008) developed a signature beat, now named after him.

Glasshouse Images / Alamy Stock Photo.

1939

Unknown

Taken in dance hall in Harlem, this image captures the exuberance of the jitterbug dancers.

Museum of the City of New York / GRANGER — All rights reserved.

1938

Alan Fisher (American, active 1938)

This photograph, taken from the balcony overlooking a convention or dance, shows several couples dancing the jitterbug.

New York World-Telegram and the Sun Newspaper Photograph Collection, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA.

c. 2015

Unknown

A student created this artwork, a representation of the trickster spider Anansi, a recurring character in West African folklore.

Private collection.

1939

Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller (American, 1877–1968)

African-American artist Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller took inspiration from folktale of The Talking Skull. The Philadelphia-born artist achieved advanced training and recognition in Paris for her sculptures. A friend, noted sociologist and activist W.E.B. Dubois, urged her to draw upon African and African-American themes in her work.

Museum of African American History, Boston and Nantucket.