Sierra Leone RPCV Frederick Lamp Named First Curator of African Art at Yale Art Gallery
Frederick Lamp Named First Curator of African Art at Yale Art Gallery
Yale University Art Gallery
NEW HAVEN CT, (amnnews.com) —
Frederick Lamp Named First Curator of African Art at Yale Art Gallery
Jock Reynolds, the Henry J. Heinz II Director, has announced the appointment of Frederick John Lamp as the first Frances and Benjamin Benenson Foundation Curator of African Art at the Yale University Art Gallery. Mr Lamp, who is currently Curatorial Department Head, Arts of Africa, Asia, the Americas & Oceana at The Baltimore Museum of Art, will assume his new position on January 1, 2004.
"We are indeed fortunate," said Mr. Reynolds,"that Frederick Lamp has agreed to bring his rich experience and formidable skills, garnered over more than two decades at the Baltimore Museum and through extensive field work in Africa, back to Yale University where he pursued his graduate studies. He will soon be leading the development of a major new department of African art for the Yale Art Gallery. His position, recently endowed by Charles Benenson, Yale class of 1933, has already been fortified by the acquisition of the Guy van Rijn Archives of African Art, the anonymous gift of a major African art collection, and the creation of the James and Laura Ross Gallery of African Art, which will soon open within Yale's landmark Louis I. Kahn building, now undergoing a complete restoration."
Mr. Lamp's interest in African art and culture began immediately after his graduation from Kent State University, Ohio, in 1967, when he joined the Peace Corps and spent two years in Sierra Leone teaching art and English. He continued his studies at Ohio University, earning an M.A. in African Studies, and was hired by the Museum of African Art as the director of higher education and head of the Eliot Elisofon Archive. In 1981, a year before receiving his Ph.D. in the history of art from Yale University, Mr. Lamp joined the staff of the Baltimore Museum of Art as Associate Curator of the Arts of Africa, the Americas, & Oceana. Under his care the collection of African art in particular has expanded significantly and he now heads the department that also includes Asian art.
Mr. Lamp has written, lectured, taught, and organized numerous exhibitions and performances of African art, with a particular focus on the art of Baga, on which he is an acknowledged authority. Among his numerous academic honors are a Fulbright Scholar award, an Ailsa Mellon Bruce Senior Fellowship at the Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts at the National Gallery of Art, and two National Endowment for the Arts Fellowships.
The Yale University Art Gallery, located at Chapel and High Streets in New Haven, exhibits a permanent collection from every period in the history of art, with special changing exhibitions throughout the year. Admission is free for individuals; groups should call (203) 432-8459 for information about fees and to make a reservation.
Gallery Hours: Tuesday - Saturday 10 am to 5 pm; Thursdays until 8 pm ; Sunday 1 to 6 pm. Closed Mondays and major holidays.
Recorded general and program information (203) 432.0600
Website: www.yale.edu/artgallery
