The media and materials used to make artworks are often encoded with culturally specific notions of value, status, or prestige.

Comprised almost entirely of wearables (including jewelry, headdresses, and textiles) from both Africa and Asia, this exhibition will explore how notions of value and status are encoded within artistic media. It will examine how trade and other forms of exchange have influenced the meaning of specific materials for the cultures and regions represented and how materials acquired abroad become incorporated into local systems of meaning.

The Brind Center for African and African Diasporic Art was established by a founding gift from Ira Brind and Stacey Spector. Additional support for the Center is provided by the Connelly Foundation, Mr. David Haas, Ms. Lisa S. Roberts and Mr. David W. Seltzer, and other generous donors.