Art Auction Benefit

Join us for this Special Auction to Benefit the Cascade Festival of African Films.

Bids will be accepted between February 19 and March 1, 2010.

Ready to bid? Visit our Auction Page on eBay.

Dô  Kamissa (Buffalo of Dô) by Ronna Neuenschwander

15” h x 24” w x 12”d; valued at $4,200.00

Sawdust fired earthenware, mica, goatskin, cowry shell

Inspired by the epic history of Sundiata Keita’s empire of Mali, Ronna pays tribute to the magical beast that foretells the coming of this great ruler.  The Buffalo in this work references a classical Ekoi headdress with a mica faceted body and goatskin underbelly.

Ronna Neuenschwander is a nationally renowned sculptor with works in the Smithsonian’s Renwick Gallery, the Mint Museum in North Carolina and the Portland Art Museum as well as public and private collections.  She has been a supporter and member of the Cascade Festival of African Films for 20 years.  She is represented by the Froelick Gallery in Portland, OR.

Bid on Dô Kamissa

Kanaga Dancer by Baba Wagué Diakité

20” diameter platter; valued at $1,000.00

Ceramic with painted underglazes, glaze

Baba Wague paints images of his home country, Mali, where dancers from the Dogon ethnic group continue an age old tradition of masked dances, including the iconic Kanaga Mask Dance.  Here, spurred on by egrets and a woman’s scarf given in honor of his dancing prowess, the Kanaga Dancer performs for our delight.

Baba Wague Diakite is an internationally recognized artist, writer and illustrator.  He is the founder and director of the Ko-Falen Cultural Center in Bamako, Mali, which supports cultural exchanges between Westerners and Malian Artists.  His artwork is found in numerous public and private collections in the U.S. and he has performed storytelling in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art as well as the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Brooklyn Public Library and the American International School in Bamako.  He is a 1998 recipient of a Coretta Scott King Book Award for illustration.  He has been a supporter and then a member of the Cascade Festival of African Films for 20 years.  He is represented by Pulliam Gallery in Portland, OR.

Bid on Kanaga Dancer

Le Ventilateur by Arvie Smith

30”h x 20”w; valued at $1,900.00

Acrylic on painter

This painting by Arvie Smith was inspired by his travels to West Africa.  In the dance halls of Dakar, Senegal,  a provocative dance nicknamed “La Ventilateur” (The Fan Dance) was born.  The Talking Drum and the Dancer exchange rhythms, challenging each other in a riotous competition.

Arvie Smith’s work commonly reflects inspiration he has gained from his travels to West Africa of the past fifteen years. His work has been shown in New York, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Baltimore, Seattle, New Orleans, Portland, Los Angeles, and Florence, Italy.  His paintings are part of public and private collections internationally and most recently his work has been added to the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture. He is currently represented by Beppu Wiarda Gallery, Portland, Oregon. He has been Associate Professor at the Pacific Northwest College of Art since 1993. He is a founding board member of the Ko-Falen Cultural Center located in Bamako, Mali directed by Baba Wague Diakite and Ronna Neuenschwander.

Bid on Le Ventilateur