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Virginia Artis
From June of 1970, through June 1972, my husband, Jay Artis, and I lived in Uganda, East Africa. Supported by the Rockefeller Foundation, Jay taught Sociology and Statistics at Makerere University in Kampala. From the day we arrived we fell in love with the country and its people, and traveled in Uganda and in as many of the countries surrounding it as possible at the time.
We quickly discovered the wonderful music and musical instruments that the people in this part of Africa used, especially the drums. I was asked and funded by the St. Paul, Minnesota Science Museum to acquire objects for their collection. The objects that I collected were those that interested me. I was soon collecting not only for the museum, but for myself as well, with Jay cheering me on. My interest and training in art and music gave me a way to organize my search. We discovered the reddish brown bark cloth, the woven baskets, the carved wooden drums, and many other art and functional objects, all made of indigenous materials using local designs. Some of the objects that we eventually donated to Michigan State University Museum were given to us, others were purchased at the locally run crafts shop, while some were obtained from individuals who originally owned and used them.
All of these experiences gave us a greater appreciation of the people of East Africa who we met, and of their cultures.
Collector / Donor Statements
Virginia Artis . Nancy and George Axinn . Marsha MacDowell and Kurt Dewhurst . James Ellison . Robert Glew . Suzanne Miers . Simon Ottenberg . Barbara Porter-Spaulding . Raymond Silverman . Neal Sobania . Robert Zigler
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