NEW MEETS OLD: Contemporary African Art by Leilah Babirye at the de Young Museum, San Francisco, CA

Masks by Leilah Babirye at the de Young Museum in San Francisco.

A new exhibit at the de Young Art Museum in San Francisco, called We Have a History, features the art of Leilah Babirye. At first, Leilah Babirye’s sculptures look like traditional African forms, but on closer look, the complex decorations turn out to be a colorful mixture of found objects—can tops, electrical wire, extension cords, PVC pipe, and whatever else she has happened to find. 

Auntie Muzumganda by Leilah Babirye, Ceramic, wire, and found objects.

Detail.

Leilah Babirye, born in Uganda, works in New York, creating busts, masks, and figures from ceramic and wood. This is her first solo museum show in the United States. Her work highlights the connection between the past and present in African art.

R. Peaceful Bride of Mwanga II, Leilah Babirye, Wood, wax, nails, wire, glue and found objects.

I saw Leilah Babirye’s exhibit when I was at the de Young Museum in July. Her art is displayed in the Art of Africa gallery, alongside the permanent exhibits of masks, paintings and other objects, thus tying Babirye’s work to the larger African tradition. 

Dance mask, Bogadjin people; Headrests, Tami people.

I was intrigued by her use of ordinary household objects and the way they become transformed into vibrant art when incorporated in the sculptures.

Carved wooden figure, Leilah Babirye.

Included in the exhibit is a video installation where we see Leilah Babirye at work in her studio. We see the intense and energetic way she attacks materials, turning them into the forms she intends. As she works we hear her talk about them.  Leilah Babirye’s sculptures, busts and masks are portraits of her LGBTQ+ community. Each one speaks for itself, inviting the viewer to take a closer look.

The exhibit, on the second floor of the museum, runs through October 26, 2025. 

For more information about visiting the de Young Museum of Art, click HERE.

EDITH RENFROW SMITH and the Celebration of Black History in Grinnell, Iowa

Grinnell, Iowa. Wheat paste murals depicting Edith Renfrow Smith's college graduation (1937) and as a two-year-old.

A week ago my husband Art and I were in Grinnell, Iowa celebrating the dedication of Renfrow Hall, a new Grinnell College dormitory and community center, named in honor of Edith Renfrow Smith, the oldest graduate (Class of 1937) and first Black woman to graduate from the college. After graduation she moved to Chicago, where she has lived ever since.

Edith Renfrow Smith at the dedication of Renfrow Hall, September 28, 2024.

Born in 1914, Edith grew up in Grinnell, the fifth child in one of just a few Black families in town. Now, at the sprightly age of 110, she was the star of the show.

Parade welcoming Edith to Grinnell. Edith rode in a red convertible and waved to the crowd.

We joined friends, family, college and townspeople as Edith was welcomed with a parade led by the high school band, a gala dinner followed by a party in the park, and numerous other events and exhibitions.

Wheat paste mural depicting Edith and her sisters. Edith is second from left. They had two brothers. All six graduated from college, although Edith was the only one to attend Grinnell College.

Posted around town were large wheat paste murals depicting Edith's early life and scenes from that period in the town's history. The murals, created by Iowa artist Isaac Campbell from historic photos, enlarged and printed on rolls of blueprint paper, were then fastened to buildings with wheat paste. They will last about a year.

No One is Better Than You is available at the Pioneer Book Store in Grinnell, and on Amazon.

Both Art and I had a chance to chat with Edith. I was especially eager to meet Edith after advising on the wonderful children's book about her life, No One is Better Than You, written by Monique Shore. During the weekend, Monique gave a reading of her book at the Drake Community Library in Grinnell. After the reading, tours were given of the Hazelwood Cemetery, highlighting areas connected to Renfrow family history.

Fourth Avenue in downtown Grinnell has not changed much in the last 100 plus years. Most of the buildings are on the National Historic Register. The store with the striped awning was once Arnold's Shoes.

The whole trip to Grinnell felt like a trip back in time as Art and I recalled our own years as students on campus in the 1960s and as we visited places connected to Arnold family history from earlier generations. Art's great great grandparents first came to Grinnell in the late 1800s. Art's father grew up in Grinnell. Art was delighted to learn that Edith recalled his Uncle Don (a classmate) and the Arnold shoe store on 4th Avenue.

Art chatting with Edith before the dedication ceremony.

Renfrow Hall, under construction.

Renfrow Hall, located off-campus in downtown Grinnell, will be both a dormitory for students at the college and a place for community activities. It is scheduled to open in 2025.

Edith paved the way for more Black women students at Grinnell College. Delabian Rice Thurston, my roommate in college, was honored with a banner at the dedication of Renfrow Hall for her work with Parents United in Washington, DC.

Delabian with her banner at the dedication.

It was a thrill to meet Edith and to be part of the celebration of her remarkable life and of the role she and her family have played in the Grinnell community.

The house on First Avenue in Grinnell where Edith was born.

This building was the Grinnell High School and Junior High attended both by Edith and her siblings and by Art's father and his siblings. It has now been converted to a hotel and this is where we stayed during our visit for the Renfrow Hall dedication.