January 29, 2005 - September 5, 2005

In honor of Black History Month, the Reading Public Museum is presenting the exhibition African Art from the Dersh Family Collection. The exhibit is running January 29 – May 30, 2005 and will be in the Museum’s Cove Gallery. It will feature a variety of pieces from the Dersh’s personal collections including figures and masks from west and central Africa in wood, ivory, bronze and textiles. “I’m pleased to have this opportunity to share my pieces with the community,” comments Dersh, “I hope they recognize that African art is an important part of the world’s artistic heritage.

African Art from the Dersh Family Collection is supported by Sovereign Bank and in part by the Friends of the Reading Museum, The Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, and the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. Regular Museum admission is $7 adults (18-60) and $5 seniors/children/students (w/ID), Members and children under 4 are free. Museum hours are Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday 11am to 5pm, Wednesday 11am to 8pm and Sunday 12pm to 5pm.

Rhoda Dersh happened upon African art by way of a “hands-on drawing” class she was required to take as a freshman at the University of Pennsylvania. During a trip to the University’s museum Dersh found herself more interested in reading the labels of the African art collection than drawing. A staff member noticed her intense interest and invited her and some other students to go see a friend of his who was an African art collector and dealer. She bought two African combs from the collector and thus began her journey of amassing African art.

Dersh states her knowledge is self-taught through studying and attending conferences. She collects because she finds the pieces visually compelling or is drawn to a piece because of its function in African culture. For example, she finds it fascinating that her nail and power pieces, also called Nkisi, represented an oath or promise made, and that iron blades and nails were driven into them as part of the ritual.

The MUSEUM SHOP will have a variety of hand-made items for sale from Kenya and Ghana including woven baskets, jewelry, woven kikoi cloths (traditional women’s wrap), pottery, carved wooden utensils, and knitted animals. The MUSEUM SHOP is open during Museum hours. There is no charge to browse and Visa and MasterCard are accepted.

Related Programming for African Art from the Dersh Family Collection
Discovery Talk: African Art - Tuesday, February 1st at Noon
by Rhoda Dersh. Free with admission.
A Celebration of African Music and Sound - Saturday, February 5th from 1:00pm to 3:00pm
Interactive afternoon of African drumming with Mark Seaman, Earth Rhythms. A family affair - all instruments provided. Use drumming to develop listening skills and use rhythm as a metaphor for building relationships. Auditorium. $10 Members, $15 Non-Members. 610-371-5850 ext. 229 to register.
Blues, Gospel and All That Jazz: The Cultural Roots of Rock ‘n Roll - Sunday, February 6th at 2:00pm by Dr. Jerry Zolten, Asst. Professor of Speech, Communication & American Studies Penn State Altoona Campus. Through rare recordings and live performance videos see how rock 'n roll evolved from blues, gospel and jazz traditions of early 20th century African-American music. Free with admission.