Material Differences: Art and Identity in Africa reveals the traditions, rituals, and profoundly significant spiritual powers intrinsic to the materials used to create works of art in Africa. The choice of materials demonstrates the social, economic, and religious status of the objects themselves, as well as their owners and the artists who create them. The selection of nearly 130 artworks in the exhibition encompasses different artistic media and calls attention to symbolic meanings imbedded in the choice of these materials. 

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