New African Masquerades: Artistic Innovations and Collaborations

An exploration of contemporary African masquerade that reveals its cultural contexts, artistic innovations, and intersection with museum collection practices

By placing masquerade at the forefront of contemporary African art, this volume shows how masquerade is a dynamic and urban phenomenon shaped by shifting global concerns. Essays examine the lack of institutional recognition offered to present-day masquerade artists and the methods used to curate masquerade art at the museum level. An international group of scholars and artists explore the motivations and creative decisions of masquerade artists, highlighting their stories and providing a nuanced understanding of masquerade as a contemporary expression of human experience.

This lavishly illustrated study includes more than 150 images, artist’s biographies, in-depth analyses of masquerade ensembles in relation to themes of collaboration, economics, and meaning, and a discussion of the methodologies for ethically commissioning and acquiring masquerade art.

Distributed for the New Orleans Museum of Art

Exhibition Schedule:

New Orleans Museum of Art
(April 4-August 10, 2025)

Frist Museum, Nashville, TN
(October 10, 2025-January 4, 2026)

San Antonio Museum of Art
(February 27-July 5, 2026

Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg, FL
(September 2026-January 2027)

National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian, Washington, DC
(February 19-September 26, 2027)

Concurrently with:

Museum of Black Civilization, Dakar, Senegal
(TBD)

Sierra Leone National Museum, Freetown
(TBD)

National Museum of Calabar, Nigeria
(TBD)

Amanda M. Maples is Françoise Billion Richardson Curator of African Art at the New Orleans Museum of Art and director of the New African Masquerades project. Jordan A. Fenton is associate professor of art history at Miami University, Ohio. Lisa Homann is associate professor of art history at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.