National Museum of African Art announces promised gift: The "African Ceremonies" photographic collection

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art has announced a promised gift, the “African Ceremonies” collection, that features archival materials documenting the work of photographers Carol Beckwith and Angela Fisher. Beckwith and Fisher have dedicated their careers to showcasing African cultures and traditions for five decades, from the late 1970s to the present. “African Ceremonies” features more than 150 cultural groups from 35 African countries. The collection documents cultures and traditions through photographs, journals, films, publications and digital media. The museum will house the “African Ceremonies” collection as part of its commitment to expanding public understanding of the arts, histories and cultures of Africa and its diasporas. It will increase the African Art Museum’s archival holdings by 28%. In the future, the museum