History

Our Unique Features

Our experience is unique and special in that it is the only facility of its kind in North Louisiana that showcases the artistic contributions of people of African descent across two continents—Africa and America.  SUMAS features African art from the major art-producing regions of Africa including: Mali, Nigeria, the Ivory Coast of West Africa, Cameroon, and the Congo. The African art exhibit is comprised of two major collections: Dr. Leon R. Tarver, II Collection and the Dr. William Bertrand Collection. The two include over 300 artifacts and represent the foundation of the museum’s permanent collection of African art. The African art collections include: ceremonial masks, statues, fabric, utensils, and a variety of other functional artifacts. The current exhibit features a “Gbekre Monkey Figure” from the Baoule people of the Ivory Coast, an Ekoi Head Crest with two braided horns, a clay Boli (four-legged buffalo) from the Bamana people of Mali, and jewelry from the Bertrand Collection of artifacts from the Congo. Each artifact is unique and has a functional use in the culture of the country of its origin.

The Museum features African-American art from the permanent collection of the Southern University Museum of Art in Baton Rouge. The exhibit features a series of prints by master artists Phoebe Beasley, John Biggers and Howard Smith. Each series of prints illustrates poems by critically acclaimed African American poets. John Biggers’ lithographic prints illustrate poems “Our Grandmothers” by the late Dr. Maya Angelou. Phoebe Beasley illustrates poems by Langston Hughes, renowned writer—poet, playwright, novelist, and a leader of the Harlem Renaissance, selected by Maya Angelou. SUMAS also features the works of African sculptor, Fred Ajanogha; Louisiana artists, Walter Washington, Daryl Triplett, Alvin Batiste; and National artists Floyd Kerr, Kennith Humphrey, Eric J. Brown.