APRIL 5 -11,1987 THE MICHIGAN CITIZE
arristers Ball
OIT - The Twenty-
u B rristers Ball
out more than 1,200
r ho enjoyed the
evening of dining and
t the Westin Hotel,
ce Centter, During
evening, olverine Bar
elation pre 'dent Charles
cales pre ided with the help
of Barri ers Ball c -chairmen
Elliot Hall and Duane Folk,
olverine Bar A ci tion is
noted for its po itive com­
munity in lvement. WBA/
C LS Judicare Program is a
joint effort between ayne
County eighborhood Legal
C and the 01-
ciation BA ,
to provide e ntial le al r­
vice to qualified indigent per-
ns.
Since ovember 1982 BA
has a isted C LS in ful­
filling this commitment. Pre-
ntly BA is committed to
providing attorneys who
specialize in dome tic relation
(divorce, bankrupcies, and pro­
bate wills. In 1985 BA
handled over 600 - Private
ttorney Involvement (PIA
ca s.
Wolverine Bar ssociation
Officers are Charles Scales, Presi­
dent, Victoria Roberts, President
Elect, Saul Green, Secretary,
and Kenneth Lewis, Treasurer.
Board of Directors are Ulrp s
B ylsin Victor Bowman,
Sharon cPhail, Her ert Dud-
ley Desiree Coo r, Elliot Hall
Craig Strong Lesli Grave,
Leroy Daggs and Valerie Lewis,
(photo by Kri in Hay
so
By • in Ha
The African m s jewelry
and ulptures we e in
museum are part of an intri­
cate communication sy tern
often between this eartly plane
and the pirit world, say
Marilyn Houlberg, a nationally
known expert on African art,
'A ulpture very often
serves s an intermediary be­
tween the human world and
the pirit world," she says.
An s ciate profe r of
art and anthropology at the
School of the Art Institute
of Chicago, Houlberg is now
living in South Haven while
on abatical from the art school.
She holds a degree in
anthropology from the Univer­
sity of London and a degree in
art from the University of
Chicago, She h lectured all
over the tates, including the
� Smith nian Institute, and
abroad.
Currently, she is collaborat­
ing ith veral African Ameri­
can and British scholars about
E IBEJI twin SCUlpture
of the Yorb tribe in e tern
i eri .
The Yorba number between
10 and 13 million and have the
highe rate of producting twins
ar
o
•
•
co
in the world as well as a high
infant mortality rate, RE
IBEJI are memorial ulptures
of dead tins.
, hen a twin dies among
the Yorba, a carved im ge of
the dead twin is washed dressed
fed and rved as a urrogate
of the dead child, The hope is
that the mother will conceive
again and give birth to a healthy
child who will live to adult­
hood.
The concept of art for art
sake doe not apply to African
art, says Houlberg. All of the
objects e call art are funct­
ional. If a client needs a cere-
monial rna or a ulpture,
he commissions carver to
. make the image, A ulpture
or a rna could represent a
venerable ance tor for example.
A m worn in a tribal t ting
of festival serve a part of a
communication stem between
the w rid of the living and the
dead.
One can appreciate frican
art for it be uty and unique-
ness but kn in methin
ab ut the culture de pen a
vie er's under tanding f
piece Houlberg ys. Her
approach is to t ke the bject
out of the mu urn case con-
u
•
Iy
text and explain ho they
were used by people in fri a,
"The object are part of the
fiber of village life," she ex­
plains, They may give them
fo d offerings variou kinds
of crifices to plea the spirit,
and to bring it d n into
the object where it can be c n­
suited,
Body adornments repre nt
another kind of c mmuni at ion
sy tern, Afri an cien
elaborate ays of pr
them lves. omadi
like the a i of
have t en b dy dornment
to its highe t level. h ul er
say . They ear their
herea the Y rb and
gricultural group ere t
hou s and fill them
oboe ts.
In East
and
mni
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