Welcome to ACASA

Arts Council of the African Studies Association (ACASA)

The Arts Council of the African Studies Association (ACASA) was established in 1982 as an independent non-profit professional association affiliated with the African Studies Association (ASA) in the United States. The organization exists to facilitate communication among scholars, teachers, artists, museum specialists and all others interested in the arts of Africa and the African Diaspora. Its goals are to promote greater understanding of African material and expressive culture in all its many forms, and to encourage contact and collaboration with African and Diaspora artists and scholars.

As an ASA-sponsored association, ACASA recommends panels for inclusion in the ASA annual meeting program on such wide ranging topics as the interpretation of meanings in African art, agency and performance, connoisseurship and aesthetics, the ethics of field collecting and research, the illicit trade in antiquities, museum exhibition strategies, the use of archival sources, as well as issues concerning various historical and contemporary artists and artistic traditions.

ACASA's annual business meeting is held during the ASA meeting each fall. ACASA is also an affiliated society of the College Art Association, and meets on an ad hoc basis at its annual conference. Kate Ezra is current President of A.C.A.S.A." Kate Ezra is current President of A.C.A.S.A.

Triennial Symposium on African Art

ACASA sponsors a Triennial Symposium on African Art hosted each time by different institutions. First held in 1968 at Hampton Institute under the direction of Richard Long, the Triennial offers a rich program of panels and cultural activities, and now includes a day-long pre-symposium workshop for museum professionals on the collection, preservation and presentation of African art. A special emphasis is placed on facilitating the participation of African and Diaspora colleagues by awarding ACASA travel scholarships and by working with other agencies to secure funding to bring them to the United States for the symposium. ACASA also awards travel stipends on a competitive basis to graduate students presenting papers at the Triennial.

ACASA Awards

ACASA recognizes significant contributions to the field through the presentation of two major awards. The Leadership Award is conferred upon individuals whose accomplishments best exemplify intellectual excellence and leadership in the study of African and African Diaspora art. Two Arnold Rubin Outstanding Publication Awards are given in honor of our late colleague in recognition of books of original scholarship and excellence in visual presentation, which enhance our understanding of the arts and material culture of Africa and the Diaspora. All of these awards are presented at the Triennial Symposium.

Initiatives

ACASA has begun a series of initiatives designed to foster and strengthen scholarly exchange and collaboration among a world-wide audience. Through a Book Distribution Program, complimentary subscriptions to the journal African Arts, select exhibition catalogues and books are sent to 125 museums, libraries and research institutions in Africa and the Caribbean. A Slide Distribution Project, now in its pilot stage, will make available for purchase collections of field slides for teaching. The proceeds will be used to send the same slide packets, free of charge, to African and Caribbean institutions. A two-volume introductory-level text and anthology of readings on African and African Diaspora art is in the planning stage.

Newsletter

All members receive the ACASA Newsletter, published three times a year (April, August and December). The newsletter provides information on ACASA-sponsored activities and initiatives, and on conferences, symposia, exhibitions and related educational programs, new publications, opportunities in the field, and news about members and their research activities. Each April issue includes a current directory of members. The ACASA newsletter is distributed without charge to more than 275 individuals and institutions in Africa and the Caribbean as part of the organization's effort to disseminate information as widely as possible. The current editor of the Newsletter is Rebecca Nagy who may be reached at rnagy@uf.edu.

Additional Information about ACASA

For more information about ACASA please contact Alice Burmeister, ACASA Secretary / Treasurer, Dept. of Art & Design, 140 McLaurin Hall, Winthrop University, Rock Hill, SC 29733, (803) 984-8328, or Burmeistera@Winthrop.edu.

Annual membership dues are $50 (regular), $20 (students) and $75 (institutions), payable in January. Dues checks should be made payable to "ACASA" and sent to Alice Burmeister. To become a new member of ACASA, please download (print) a copy of the ACASA membership application form, complete it, and return it to Alice Burmeister at the address noted above.