Eyes of Shona

US Ambassador Charles Ray

The Ambassador to Zimbabwe Charles Ray shares the culture and art of Zimbabwe with visitors to MMoFA's "Eyes of Shona" exhibition of sculptures created by the founding fathers of the Shona art movement.

In the late 1960’s, a small group of African sculptors in Zimbabwe burst on the art scene in London, NY, and Paris. Their unique semi-abstract organic style of art forever changed art history and led Newsweek to report in 1987 that ‘Shona sculpture is perhaps the most important new art form to emerge from Africa this century.’ As with other definitive art movements like Cubism, Impressionism, and Pointillism, the founders of the Shona movement established a timeless signature artistic style.

Museum Director Frank McEwen with the Queen of England From February 3 -15, MMoFA (Madison Museum of Fine Art) presents selected works from its Shona sculpture collection called “Eyes of Shona” in partnership with the K-12 Putnam County School System. The hand carved sculptures on display were created by the founding fathers of the Shona movement in the 1950s and 60s and were selected by the visionary mentor Frank McEwen as exemplary examples of the Shona art style. The sculptures toured the US in a 1968 ground breaking circulating exhibition organized by the Museum of Modern Art in NY.

The MMoFA goals for “Eyes of Shona” are to teach visual art history, awareness of visual art resources, how art museums work, cultural stewardship, and broad career skills that extend beyond the museum setting. The K-12 interdisciplinary study of visual art demonstrates MMoFA’s educational philosophy that visual art literacy accelerates learning in all disciplines including math and science. So Putnam science students are studying the qualities of serpentine stone used by the Shona artists, math students are studying measurement and perspective in the works of art, world history students are studying the mysterious ancient city of Zimbabwe, and music students are studying popular African and American music at the time the Shona art movement emerged. MMoFA is also coordinating with the Zimbabwe consulate to link Putnam students and MMoFA with similar artistic pursuits in Africa.

Upon Frank McEwen’s death, the sculptures on display passed from the Museum of Modern Art to McEwen's son Frank Aldridge. Thanks to the generosity of Mr. John Donaldson of Atlanta and NYC, they are now held in the collection of MMoFA. Many of the artists represented in the MMoFA collection are also represented the Museum of Modern Art in NY, the Rodin Museum in Paris, the London Museum of Contemporary Art, the Museum of Modern Art in Frankfurt, and the Kresge Museum in Lansing, Michigan.

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Putnam County Student Website for "Eyes of Shona"