Kingsley Anderson says not until several months later upon living and working in Mali, West Africa as a Peace Corps volunteer did I fully grasp the power a mask may hold



Kingsley Anderson says not until several months later upon living and working in Mali, West Africa as a Peace Corps volunteer did I fully grasp the power a mask may hold

Kingsley Anderson

As an undergraduate student of both anthropology and sculpture I studied African society while I cast bronze pieces inspired by what I read in books and saw in collections. However, not until several months later upon living and working in Mali, West Africa as a Peace Corps volunteer did I fully grasp the power a mask may hold.

My latest body of work is an exploration in mask making inspired by West African and Northwest Coast Native American ceremonial objects I have witnessed and studied. I work primarily in bronze, mixed media, and clay. Masks interest me for their visual power and their use as spiritual and religious objects. I am motivated by a fascination with cultures of the world and a longtime interest in traditional African religions. In this body of work, I seek to fuse the zoomorphic and stylized creations of multiple ethnic groups while capturing their vibrancy.

I want my masks to embody a sense of power and cultural identity while stimulating the viewer to ask important questions about their own sense of these concepts. On a base level, masks transform the identity of the wearer. On another level, masks provide for a collective cultural identity. I want viewers to consider the relationship between individual identity and social identity. What elements form our individual identity? What shapes our social identity?

Power and identity are interrelated concepts in my masks. In the Senufo culture within which I lived, social identity held a precedent over individual identity, whereas Americans and Westerners value individual decisions and identity. The collective identity of villages and ethnic groups forms a power in and of itself bringing forth social and spiritual strength and cohesion. The mask’s role in regulating social behavior becomes a symbol of and conduit for solidarity. Just as masks in other cultures seek to unite the wants of spirits to those of man, I seek to find the cross-cultural connections that unite us as humans.

When this story was posted in November 2004, this was on the front page of PCOL:

The Birth of the Peace Corps UMBC's Shriver Center and the Maryland Returned Volunteers hosted Scott Stossel, biographer of Sargent Shriver, who spoke on the Birth of the Peace Corps. This is the second annual Peace Corps History series - last year's speaker was Peace Corps Director Jack Vaughn.

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Vote "Yes" on NPCA's bylaw changes Take our new poll. NPCA members begin voting this week on bylaw changes to streamline NPCA's Board of Directors. NPCA Chair Ken Hill, the President's Forum and other RPCVs endorse the changes. Mail in your ballot or vote online (after Dec 1), then see on how RPCVs are voting.

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November 27, 2004: This Week's Top Stories RPCV reaches out after Soccer attack 27 Nov Tony Hall serves cold rice to embassy guests 27 Nov Hope calms injured volunteer's family 26 Nov Journalist Russell Carollo plans book on Peace Corps 25 Nov Moyers says next 4 years will be golden age for reporters 24 Nov RPCV is new president of the Hawaii bar association 23 Nov Mark Gearan confirmed by Senate for CNS Board 23 Nov Chris Shays fits in the other Republican Party 22 Nov DC job a possibility for McPherson 22 Nov Sentence reduced for man who raped PCV in Vanuatu 21 Nov Frist criticizes provision in Omnibus Spending Bill 21 Nov Peace Corps to be funded at $320 million 19 Nov more top stories...

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Charges possible in 1976 PCV slaying Congressman Norm Dicks has asked the U.S. attorney in Seattle to consider pursuing charges against Dennis Priven, the man accused of killing Peace Corps Volunteer Deborah Gardner on the South Pacific island of Tonga 28 years ago. Background on this story here and here.

Your vote makes a difference Make a difference on November 2 - Vote. Then take our RPCV exit poll. See how RPCV's are voting and take a look at the RPCV voter demographic. Finally leave a message on why you voted for John Kerry or for George Bush. Previous poll results here.

Kerry reaches out to Returned Volunteers The Kerry campaign wants the RPCV vote. Read our interview with Dave Magnani, Massachusetts State Senator and Founder of "RPCVs for Kerry," and his answers to our questions about Kerry's plan to triple the size of the Peace Corps, should the next PC Director be an RPCV, and Safety and Security issues. Then read the "RPCVs for Kerry" statement of support and statements by Dr. Robert Pastor, Ambassador Parker Borg, and Paul Oostburg Sanz made at the "RPCVs for Kerry" Press Conference. RPCV Carl Pope says the key to winning this election is not swaying undecided voters, but persuading those already willing to vote for your candidate to actually go to the polls. Take our poll and tell us what you are doing to support your candidate. Finally read our wrap-up of the eight RPCVs in Senate and House races around the country and where the candidates are in their races.

Director Gaddi Vasquez: The PCOL Interview PCOL sits down for an extended interview with Peace Corps Director Gaddi Vasquez. Read the entire interview from start to finish and we promise you will learn something about the Peace Corps you didn't know before. Plus the debate continues over Safety and Security.

Read the stories and leave your comments.

By Admin1 (admin) (pool-151-196-43-253.balt.east.verizon.net - 151.196.43.253) on Thursday, December 30, 2004 - 12:42 pm: Edit Post

More information about Kingsley Anderson and his work is available at:

http://www.kingsleyanderson.com/