Material Differences: Art and Identity in Africa reveals the traditions, rituals, and spiritual powers intrinsic to the materials used to create works of art in Africa which are profoundly significant.  The choice of materials determines the social, economic and religious status of the objects themselves, their owners, and the artists who create them.  To understand African art, then, we need to examine the different layers of meaning inherent in the material of each object.

Organized by the Museum for African Art and presented April 10-August 15, 2003 at the Museum's temporary Long Island City Gallery, New York.

Material Differences: Art and Identity in Africa toured the following venues: in 2004 at the Hamline University, Saint Paul, Minnesota; in 2004-05 at the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Canada; and in 2005 at the Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, California.