Senegal RPCV Robert Ament turns stint in Peace Corps into a thriving Rochester gallery
Bringing back African art
Man turns stint in Peace Corps into a thriving Park Ave. gallery
By Joy Davia
Staff Writer
Caption: Christine Blackburne, 21, an RIT student, tries on a necklace at The Jembetat Gallery on Park Avenue. The gallery is filled with African artifacts, including weapons, textiles, wooden bowls, tribal masks and statues. It was started by a former Peace Corps worker who returns to Africa on a regular basis. [Day in Photos]
DANESE KENON staff photographer
(April 5, 2004) — Robert Ament’s business reflects his time in the Peace Corps, where he spent more than two years in sub-Saharan west Africa.
He lived in a grass hut, helping people from 30 villages in northern Senegal with gardening and reforestation projects. One year he battled an infestation of locus; the next year he dealt with drought-like weather, including 125-degree temperatures and scarce rainfall.
The African people — “the nicest people you’ll ever meet” — and their artwork inspired him to start his own gallery. So when he returned to Rochester 13 years ago, he started The Jembetat Gallery, which is now located on Park Avenue in Rochester.
On Thursday afternoon, Ament circled around a display in his gallery, lifting male and female figures from a glass case.
”These are from the Dogon tribe,” he began, cradling the solid bronze figures he got in Mali. “It’s their version of Adam and Eve — the first couple. See how they’re sitting on top of mythical turtles?”
Rooms in Ament’s gallery are filled with African artifacts — weapons, textiles, wooden bowls, tribal masks and statues, among others. The entranceway is filled with African atlases dating to the 1850s. A large reclining wooden chair typically used by village elders sits in the back room. Dozens of tent stakes are piled in another corner. Fertility statues are shelved throughout the gallery.
Every year, he makes a trip to remote parts of Africa. He haggles with village elders over prices for various items, accompanied by a translator and a driver. He is awaiting the arrival of artwork purchased during his latest excursion: a 1-ton package of 80 artifacts Ament bought during a recent two-week trip to Cameroon.
Ament leaned over his laptop, clicking on photos of the recent purchases, including costumes, baskets and a 150-year-old doorpost engraved with crocodile heads. He wants artwork patrons can’t buy anyplace else and items that are extremely old, well used and aesthetically beautiful.
This is a philosophy that has helped Ament build up a base of customers here, nationwide and abroad, he said. Customers include private collectors, museums, patrons looking for a unique house decoration or those looking to buy unique jewelry — which includes exclusive deals he has with various European artists. His jewelry is priced from $80 to $450. Artwork ranges from $300 to several thousand dollars.
Overall, about 25 percent of his customers are from the Rochester area.
Lisa Franklin, who grew up in Irondequoit, first stumbled upon Ament’s gallery several years ago during the Park Avenue Summer Art Festival. She has since bought several pieces of jewelry.
Her most recent visit to the gallery was on Wednesday, when she bought an amber and opal necklace.
”I just love it,” said Franklin, who recently moved to Florida but visits the gallery during trips home.
”I don’t know how to explain it. I just like buying things that are unique and different.”
JDAVIA@DemocratandChronicle.com
