Africa Across the Atlantic

São Paulo

PAO TJ Dowling at the Afro-Atlantic Summit

CG Thomas Kelly, Emanoel Araujo (Curator, Museu Afro-Brasil) and James Counts Early (Director of Cultural Heritage Policy, Smithsonian Institution

Hosted by the Museu Afro Brasil and in partnership with the U.S. Consulate General in Sao Paulo and the Smithsonian Institute, the First Afro-Atlantic Summit brought together 200 museum representatives from the United States, Africa and Brazil for a week of seminars and workshops on the promotion of African art.  The rhythms, dance and food at the opening ceremony kicked off a festive and productive international seminar that brought together key institutions from three continents to share their experiences and ideas on expanding African art into everyday culture. 

U.S. State Department Cultural Envoy Chanel Compton, from the Smithsonian’s African Museum of Art in Washington, D.C., collaborated with 14 young Brazilian students from various social inclusion projects to paint a 20 meter long mural on the side of Museu Afro Brasil.  The mural was unveiled at the closing ceremony of the seminar. 

The seminar bridged the Atlantic Ocean, bringing the U.S., Brazil and Africa closer together through the shared influence of African culture.  The workshops opened doors to future collaboration among participants and strengthened ties between organizations committed to increasing the exposure of African art throughout the world.  Based on the positive feedback from summit participants it promises to be the first of many more to come.