shapes of the ancestors: bodies, animals, art, and

Project Report Shapes of the Ancestors: Bodies, Animals, Art, and Ghanaian Fantasy Coffins* Kristin Otto

Abstract:ThisprojectreportdescribestheresearchandpresentationofShapesof the Ancestors: Bodies, Animals, Art and Ghanain Fantasy Coffins, anexhibitionfocusingontheworkshopofGhanain fantasycoffinmakerPaa Joe.The exhibition was on display at the Mathers Museum of World Cultures inBloomington,IndianafromAugust14throughDecember16,2018.[Keywords: coffinmaking; curation;material culture;museum exhibitions;workshops. Keywords are derived from the American Folklore SocietyEthnographic Thesaurus, a standard nomenclature for the ethnographicdisciplines.]

Introduction LocatedinPobimanontheoutskirtsofGhana’sGreaterAccraRegion,PaaJoeCoffinWorksisthenucleusofactivityforlegendaryfigurativecoffinmakerPaaJoe,hissonJacobTetteh-Ashong,andtheirassociates.Itisaplacewherethesoundofsawingwoodandhammeringnailsmixeswith the ever-present background radio, and a layer of sawdust coats everysurface.FortwoweeksduringAugust2017, Imaderegular tripsout to thisworkshoptoresearch the objects popularly known as fantasy coffins. Amidst the flurry of activityhappeningattheworkshopduringthosetwoweeks,Ihadthepleasureoflearningfromtheartistsonstaffabouttheprocessesofmakingfigurativecoffins,theiruseinGafunerals,andtheincreasingmarketforWesterncollectionandexhibition.During theyear followingmy return fromGhana, IworkedwiththeMathersMuseumofWorldCulturesatIndianaUniversitytocuratetheexhibitionShapesoftheAncestors:Bodies,Animals, Art, and Ghanaian Fantasy Coffins, which opened in Fall 2018. Over this year Ilearned a great deal about the coffins from a university museum-oriented perspective,including the logistical practicalities of transporting them for exhibition loans, how toeffectivelydisplaylargeobjects,andthechallengeofinterpretingsuchdynamicobjectsforwideaudiences.

*Thiseditorially-reviewedproject reportwasacceptedforpublication inMuseumAnthropologyReview onFebruary28,2019.TheworkislicensedundertheCreativeCommonsAttribution4.0InternationalLicense.Toviewacopyofthislicense,visithttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0.

MuseumAnthropologyReview13(1)Spring2019

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Figure 1. Airplane-shaped coffin, Mathers Museum of World Cultures, 2017-07-0001.PhotographbyMatthewSieber.Thisprojectbeganwithadonationofanairplane-shapedcoffin(Figure1)fromRobertandAliceSchlossofIndianapolis,IndianatotheMathersMuseumcollection.Theirinterestin,andenthusiasmfor,thepracticealsogenerouslyledtotheirfundingofmyresearchtriptoAccraandtheexhibition.TheSchloss’relationshipwithPaaJoe,whoseworkshophadmadetheairplanecoffintheydonated,alsohelpedtofacilitatetheconnectionsnecessarytobeginresearch.AsaPhDstudentintheDepartmentofAnthropologyatIndianaUniversityandaresearch associate with the Mathers Museum of World Cultures, I had already beenconductingresearchwithAfricanobjectsinmuseumsandWestAfrica,withaninterestinmethods of interpretation and exhibition. Aftermy return fromGhana, the curation andimplementationoftheexhibitionwassupportedbyvariousMathersMuseumstaff,aswellaspartiallyfundedbythe‘Themester’initiativeatIndianaUniversity.1TheprocessesofethnographicresearchinlocationslikePaaJoeCoffinWorksandcurationin museums like the Mathers Museum of World Cultures are important aspects ofcontemporary practice for ethnographicmuseums today. In documenting the process ofresearchingandcuratinginthisprojectreport,Ihopetoprovideanoutlineofthelogistics,decision-making,andplanningprocessesof theproject for those interested. Ialsoaimtoillustratethewaysinwhichfirst-handcollectionsresearchcaninformexhibitioncurationanddesign.IwillbeginbyprovidingabriefbackgroundofGhanaianfigurativecoffinsandtheircollection/exhibitioninWesternMuseums.IwillthenfocusontheperiodsofresearchandcurationinturnatPaa JoeCoffinWorksandtheMathersMuseumofWorldCultures.Finally,Iconcludewithnotesontheadvantagesandchallengesofsuchuniversitymuseum-basedprojects.


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Collecting and Exhibiting Fantasy Coffins Prior to beginning research, I was already aware of Ghanaian figurative coffins as aphenomenoninWesternmuseumsandcollections.Foranyonewhohasseenoneinperson,their impressive size, color, and diverse range of formsmake them hard to forget. Thefigurative coffins—popularly known as fantasy coffins for their connection to personalidentity—havebeenregularlymadeandusedbytheGapeopleofGhanasincethe1950s.Thepracticearoseoutof thechangingcolonialandpostcolonialdynamicssurroundingdeath,leadership,landownership,andcommunityrelationshipsinGhana,spurredbythealreadyestablishedpracticeofcarryingpoliticalleadersinfigurativepalanquins.Theshapesofthecoffinssymbolicallycommunicateimportantinformationaboutthedeceased’soccupation,familial identity, and social position at public, community-based funerals. More fullydescribing the cultural roles and the use of these coffins among the Ga historically andcontemporarilyisoutsidethescopeofthispaper,whichwilllargelyreportonthemuseumprojectitself.However,keyanthropologistsandarthistorianshaveresearchedthesubjectindepth,andforthisbackgroundIreferreaderstotheworkofRobertaBonetti(2009,2010,2012),RegulaTschumi(2008,2014),andtheearlierworkofThierrySecretan(1995).Inadditiontoscholarlyresearch,GhanaianfigurativecoffinshaveahistoryofexhibitionandcollectionintheWestsincethe1970s.The1989exhibitionLes Magiciens de la TerreatParis’CentrePompidouprovedtobethemostsensational,catapultingthepracticeandtheartiststhat make them to international fame. Since then, figurative coffins have been widelycollectedbybothlargeandsmallmuseumsandgalleries,sometimesmakingtheirwayintopermanentgallerydisplays.Largerexhibitionsspecificallyfocusedoncoffinshavetendedtobe primarily in art museums, and usually focus on the work of one artist, such as theUniversityofMissouri-KansasCityGalleryofArt’s,A Life Well Lived: Fantasy Coffins of Kane Quaye(1994),themorerecentUniversityofIowa’sStanleyMuseumofArt,Art & the Afterlife: Fantasy Coffins by Eric Adjetey Anang(2017),ortheexhibitionofPaaJoe’sslavecastlecoffinsinThe Coffins of Paa Joe and the Pursuit of Happiness(2017)attheJackShainmanGalleryinNewYorkCity.Artists from themostwell-knownworkshops—Paa JoeCoffinWorksandKaneKweiCoffins—haveparticipatedinseveralartistresidenciesatinstitutionsinEuropeandtheUS,andhavebeenexhibitedorfeaturedinartfestivals,shows,andgalleriesaroundtheworld.Thepracticeoffantasycoffinswasregularlypickeduponandreportedinpopularmediasources,asIfoundoutbythefrequentemailsIreceivedwhenIsetupaGoogleAlertwhenIstartedresearch.AllofthisgoestoshowthatwhentheMathersMuseumsetoutonthis project, the coffins and their artists were already widely known in museum andacademiccircles,butuntilthispointhadbeenlargelyexhibitedfromthepointofviewofartmuseumsandpopularmedia.Giventheresearch,collecting,andexhibitionsworkthathadcomebefore,theobjectiveoftheMathersprojectwasnotafull-scaleethnographyofGalifeorevenofGacoffinuse,butrather to research and create an exhibition based on the specific goals related to themuseum’s collection. First, we wanted to contextualize the airplane coffin now in ourcollectionbydocumentingfirst-handtheplaceandthepeoplefromwhichithadoriginated.Second,wewantedtolearnmoreabouttheculturalpracticesassociatedwiththeuseofthese


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coffins from the artists who create them. Third, drawing from approaches to theanthropologyofartandfolklorestudiessostrongandIndianaUniversity,wewantedtopayparticularattentiontothepracticesofmakingcoffinsattheworkshop.ThesegoalsinformedboththeapproachtoresearchatPaaJoeCoffinWorksinGhana,aswellasthenarrativeoftheeventualexhibition.IwasselectedtomakethetriptoGhanaandtocuratetheexhibitionbasedonmyongoingdissertationresearchonartisticpractices inWestAfricaconnectedwithmuseumcollectionsandexhibitions.Research at Paa Joe Coffin Works, Accra, Ghana ItravelledtoAccrainearlyAugust2017asarepresentativeoftheMathersMuseumofWorldCultures. The timing ofmy research trip happily coincidedwith the Arts Council of theAfricanStudiesAssociation(ACASA)triennialconferenceheldattheUniversityofGhanaatLegon.Thisnotonlymeant Iwasable topresentat theconference,butalsothatPaa JoeCoffinWorksregularlyreceivedvisitingacademicsandmuseumprofessionalsmakingthetripouttoseetheworkshopduringtheconference.WhileIdidnotattendtheentiretyoftheconference due to my research at the workshop, conferring with my colleagues at theconferenceabouttheprojectonthedayswhenIwasabletoattendgavemeanideaoftheexcitementintheacademicworldsurroundinganexhibitionexaminingGhanaianfigurativecoffinsbasedonethnographicresearch.Thedrivetotheworkshopwasalongone,evenfrommyplaceinaconferencehotelneartheLegoncampus,awayfromcentralAccra.Thehour-plus-longdrivethroughthestreetsontheoutskirtsofthecityoftengavemetheopportunitytocollectmythoughtsandplanforthedayahead.Ilargelyfollowedalongwiththeactivitiesoftheworkshopstafftogetasenseofday-to-dayactivities,butthelengthofmystaynecessitatedsomepreparationtoensureIcouldcoveravarietyoftopicsinarelativelyshortperiodoftime.WhenIwouldarriveinthemorning,thestaffofPaaJoeCoffinWorksusuallyhadalreadybeguntheirday.Uponpullinguptotheworkshopfromthebusyhighwayoutside,itwouldnotbeunusualtofindPaaJoehimselfsittinginachairoutsidetheworkshopinaplaceIwould later learn isa favoritespot.Paa Joe,nowseventy-oneyearsold,no longermakesentire coffins by himself. He instead observes and guides the work of his staff, makingcorrections when necessary or lending a hand when needed. The heavy labor of coffinmakingisnowlargelyundertakenbyhisson,andmastercoffinmaker,JacobTetteh-Ashong,aswell as formerapprentices contracted forworkduringbusyperiods. InAugust, theseincludedBenjaminAmartey-Mensah,SamuelNahr,andSamuelKudjeo,alongwithJacob’snephewJusticeBoakyewhowasonsummerbreakfromschool,andDanielAnumJasper,anartistwhocomesperiodicallytopaintthecoffins.


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Figure 2. Paa Joe CoffinWorksWorkshop. August 2017, Pobiman, GreaterAccraRegion,Ghana.Photographbyauthor.

Figure3.PaaJoe(right)andSamuelNahr(left)workonframingaboat-shapedcoffin.August2017,Pobiman,GreaterAccraRegion,Ghana.Photographbyauthor.


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Paa Joe(whosebirthnameis JosephAshong)andhisassociateswereworkingonalargenumberofprojectswhenIwasthereinAugust.Onewasacoffinshapedlikeanearofcornforafarmer’sburial.Otherswereagroupofsea-themedcoffinsforanexhibitioninAccrathatwouldcelebratePaaJoe’sfortiethanniversaryofcoffinmaking,includingcoffinsintheshapesofaboat,conchshell, fish,canoe,andclam.Finally, thestaffwasalsoworkingonupdatingapairoflionpalanquinsforlocalchiefs.Elaborateprojectssuchasthesecouldtakeuptoamonthtocomplete,soIwasunabletoobservethecreationofonespecificcoffinfromstarttofinish.However,Iwasabletoobserveeachatvariousstagesintheprocess;fromframing to construction, shaping, and painting. In combining these observations withinterviewswithstaff, Iwasable toexperience the completeprocessofmaking figurativecoffins.Theworkshop itselfwassplit intoseveralsections, includingthearea in the frontwherepaintingandpreparationforshippingwouldtakeplace.Therectangularconcretestructureoftheworkshopwaslargelytakenupwithashowroom,wherestockexamplesoftheirworkcouldbeshowntotouristsandthoseinterestedincommissioningcoffins.Italsoincludedasmall officewhere Jacob conducted the day-to-day business of theworkshop, aswell asstorageareas for tools.Muchof theactualworkof coffin-making tookplace in theback,concentrated in the areas of shade offered by the surrounding buildings and trees.Consequently,thiswaswhereIspentthelargemajorityofmytimeattheworkshop.

Figure5.PaaJoe(right)andhissonJacobTetteh-Ashong(left)atworkintheshadebehindtheworkshop.August2017,Pobiman,GreaterAccraRegion,Ghana.Photographbyauthor.


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Mymethodologyfortheresearchinvolvedbalancingperiodsofobservation—documentedthroughnote-taking,photography,video,andaudiorecording—withdiscussionsandformalinterviews with the staff. From this some of the challenges inherent in a short-termcollections-researchprojectundertakenbyasingleresearcherareapparent.Projects liketheseneedtomaximizetheeffectivenessoftimeinthefield.However,thenaturalebbandflowofworkatPaaJoeCoffinWorksmeanttherewereperiodswhenaflurryofactivitywastakingplacewitheachstaffmemberworkingonvariousdifferentprojects.Atothertimes,everyonewasinaholdingpatternwhilewaitingfortoolstobefixed,awaitingthearrivalofappropriatematerials,orawayfromtheworkshoponbusiness.Thesebreaksinactivitygavemetheopportunitytotalkmorefreelywithstaffawayfromtheoftenloudsoundsofphysicallaborandtheconcentrationnecessaryforcoffinmaking.Wheneveryonestartedworkingagain,however,itmeantthatIoftenfelttheneedtobeinmultipleplacesatonce.Giventhelimitationsof timeandresourceswiththeproject, aswellas itsgoalsassociatedwithanexhibition and collections research rather than a long-term ethnography, I focused ondistributingtheresourcesIhadavailableinatime-efficientmanner.Forexample,IwouldleavemyaudiorecorderrunningwithSamuelK.,whowassawingsectionsofwoodforaclamcoffin,whilesimultaneouslysettinguptovideorecordJacobsandingthefishcoffinandkeeping an eye on Ben, who was nearby puttying the boat coffin, rotating after shortintervals.Whilethebreaksdidproveusefulfortalkingwithstaffandcatchinguponnotes,theywerenot always sufficient for the more in-depth discussions that I hoped to have duringinterviews.IinterviewedPaaJoeandJacobin-depth,astheyspokethemostEnglishofthestaff(Jacobisentirelyfluent).Isplituptheirinterviewsintosectionsaccordingtotopics—processesofmakingcoffins,personalbackgroundsandtraining,culturalpracticesofcoffinuseinGhana,andcurrentworkshopactivities—anddistributedtheseinterviewsamongthedays I was at the workshop. Still, I was very conscious that audio and video recordinginterviewsnecessitatedtherelativestoppageofsomework,notonlybythepersonbeinginterviewed,butalsobyotherswho(verykindly)stoppedsomeoftheloudertasks,suchashammeringnailheads,neartheinterviewsitesothatwewouldbeabletoheareachother.Theinterviewstookplacebothintheshowroomandinthebackoftheworkshop,andallbuttheinitialinterviewontheprocessesofmakingcoffinswerevideorecorded.Often,aftertheinterviewfinishedJacoborPaaJoewouldthenleaveimmediatelytowhatevertaskawaitedthem.AtonepointwhileinterviewingJacob,PaaJoewalkedpastandsaidsomethingtoJacobinGa.WhenIaskedwhathehadsaid,Jacoblaughedandsaid,“Hesaid,soyouaren’tworkingtoday?”Althoughmostlyajoke,balancingmyowninterestandthestaff’sdesiretohelpmewiththeprojectwiththedeadlinesoftheworkshopprovedtobeacarefularrangement.Iconductedshorterinformalinterviewswiththerestofstaffwhentheyhadtimeavailable.Theseshortinterviewswerenecessarynotonlybecauseofthehigherdemandontheirtime,butalsobecausesomeofthemspokeverylittleEnglish,andIspokeevenlessGa,revealinganotherlimitationofsuchshort-termcollectionsresearchprojects.Withsuchashorttime,IwasunabletolearnanysignificantamountofGainordertobettercommunicatewithstaff,althoughIwasoftenassistedbythestaffmemberswhospokemoreEnglish.


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FrommytimeatPaaJoeCoffinWorks,Igatheredoversixhundredimages,seventyminutesofvideooftheprocessesofcoffinmaking,interviewswithallstaffofvaryinglengths,andfortyminutesofaudioofvarioussoundsaroundtheworkshop,alongwithmyownnotes.Insuchsituations,oneoftenlooksbackwistfullyat“whatcouldhavebeendone,”andIdowishthatIhadbeenabletospendmoretimeinGhanainordertoexperienceafuneralorconductinterviewswithmoreGapeopleoutsidetheworkshopaboutthepracticeoffuneralswithfigurativecoffins.AsIwasunabletodosointhebrieftimeIwasthere,Ilaterreliedonmyinterviewswithstaffonthesubjectalongsidetheworkofethnographicresearcherswhohadcomebeforeme.Curating at the Mathers Museum of World Cultures Uponmy return to the United States, I started processing the data generated from theresearchproject,andbegancollaboratingwiththemuseumstaffinplanningfortheexhibit.OneofmyfirststepswastocreateaguidefortheimagesandvideosthatIhadgathered—documentingwhowasintheimage,whatwastakingplace,andwhenitwastakenforothersto easy access. I also began transcribing the interviews. Working through the images,interviews,andvideoproducedfrommytimeinGhanawasnotonlynecessaryimmediatelyaftermyreturnastheexperiencewasfreshinmymind,butalsobecauseithelpedtoprepareforfundingapplicationsfortheexhibitionproject.Overthecourseofthefallsemesterandearly spring, I alsoworkedwith staff at theMathersMuseum to develop a proposal forIndianaUniversity’sThemesterinitiative,whichintheyear2018wouldbethemedaroundAnimals/Humans.Sincethecoffinsoftentakethe formofanimals inaccordancewiththedeceased’soccupationorfamilialidentity,aswellashousethedeceased’sphysicalbody,thethemewasanaturalfitfortheexhibitioneffort.Theproposalwasultimatelysuccessful.Icontinuedreviewingresearchconductedbyotherethnographers,arthistorians,andmediaprofessionalsonGafigurativecoffins,whichgreatlyassistedmyunderstandingoffuneralpracticesandtheuseofthecoffins.AsIdidfurtherbackgroundresearchandreflectedonmy own experience at the workshop, several key themes of interest emerged. Thesethemes—historyanddevelopment,individualidentity,communitypractice,theinfluenceofWesterncollectors,andthecreativemakingprocess—wouldbecometheexhibition’smainwalltextsections.However,inthinkingaheadtotheexhibition,IwasalreadyawareofagapinmyresearchinGhana:thedocumentationofGafuneralpracticesinwhichthesecoffinsareused.Giventhegoalsoftheresearchandtheexhibition,Iwantedtobesurethatvisitorsnotonlygotasenseoftheartistryofthepracticeandoftheirusefromtheaccompanyingtext,butalsobyseeingimagesofthecoffinsinuse.Basedonmyconversationswithpeopleunfamiliarwiththepracticeaboutmyproject,IwasalreadyaccustomedtothegeneralsenseofdisbeliefbyWesterners,fueledbythefamiliaritywithstoicWesternfunerals,thatsuchobjectswouldbeusedandburiedinGhanaianfunerals.Toaddressthis,Ilicensedimagesforuse in the exhibition from art historian and photographer Regula Tschumi, who hadconducted extensive research in the area and dynamically captured the practice. ImagesfrommyownresearchinGhanawouldinformthesectionIdevelopedonthemakingofthecoffins,focusingonPaaJoe’sworkshop.Ialsolearnedanewskill—videoediting—inorder


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tocreatethreeshortloopedvideosthatweredisplayedtodocumentedvariousactivitiesattheworkshop,drawingfromthefootagefrommyresearchtrip.Theairplanecoffinwasalreadyapartofourcollection,butgiventheinterestwehadalreadyreceivedintheprojectandtheresultsofmyresearchinGhana,wewerekeentoexpandtherange of objects on display. I approached surrounding museums that agreed to loancollectionsfortheexhibition,includingapinkfishcoffinfromthecollectionoftheEskenaziMuseumofArtatIndianaUniversity,aswellastwocoffinsfromtheChildren’sMuseumofIndianapolis.Theseloanswereexcitinginthattheyallowedustotellmorediversestoriesofuseandartistrywiththecollectionsondisplay,buttheyalsopresentedchallenges.Oneofthemorecuriousaspectsofcuratorialworkatsmalluniversitymuseumsistheunexpectedtasksthatoccupyyourtime,includingresearchingwhatsizetruckwewouldneedinordertotransporttwocoffinsintheshapeofahenandashoefromIndianapolistoBloomington.Wealsobeganbroadeningtheobjectsintheexhibitionbeyondfull-sizedcoffins.Ichosetoincorporatea funeraloutfit from theMathersMuseum’sMaryWarrencollectionofWestAfrican clothing to highlight the other forms of community and familial expression atGhanaianfunerals.WeincludedtwominiaturecoffinsinthepopularformsofaCokebottleandaStarbeerbottletodiscussthewaysinwhichcoffinartistshaveadaptedthefull-sizeformtoappealtothetouristtrade.WealsocommissionedthreeminiaturecoffinsfromPaaJoeCoffinWorksintheshapeofalion,eagle,androosterinordertodrawmoreattentiontothemostcommonanimalformsandtheimportanceofanimalsymbolisminGafamiliallines.Duringthenegotiationfortheseminiatures,wealsoacquiredsomeexamplesoftoolsfromtheworkshopinordertoshowotherformsofmaterialcultureassociatedwithmakingandartistry.The focus on animals was fostered by the previously mentioned funding source for theexhibition,IU’sThemester:Animal/Human.TheAnimal/HumanthemeprovidedaguidingpointformeasIdevelopedtheexhibitionnarrativetobepresentedinthescript.Sincetheexhibition space was relatively large in order to accommodate four full-sized coffinsalongside other objects, there would have been opportunity to be more verbose in theexhibitionscript.However,afterseeingothers’reactionsto thecoffins Irealizedthat theobjectsthemselveswoulddomuchmorespeakingthanexhibittextevercould,Ichosetoinsteadfocusoncertainkeyperspectivesonthecoffins.Idrafteddedicatedwalltextsectionsonthehistoricaldevelopmentofthepractice,aspectsofGacultureinformingthesymbolismand use of the coffins, the relationship between the coffins and individual identity, theprocessofusingcoffinsincommunity-basedfunerals,therelationshipbetweenthecoffinsandWesterncollectors,andthemakingofthecoffins.IworkedwithSarahHatcher(HeadofProgramsandEducation),MatthewSieber(ManagerofExhibitions),andEllenSieber(ChiefCurator)inordertoadjusttheexhibitiontextforourtargetaudienceofIndianaUniversitystudentsandthebroaderBloomingtonpublic.Another main task that informed the arrangement of the exhibit was the design of theexhibitionitself.Inordertofitthesheerscaleoftheobjects,thespacewasformedfromwhathadpreviouslybeentwoseparateexhibitionspacesbyremovingatemporarywall.Wechosetoexhibitthefull-sizecoffinsinthecenterofthespace,ratherthanagainstthewall,toensure


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thatvisitorswouldbeabletowalkallthewayaroundeachtogetcompletevantagepoints—no small feat given their sheer size. This decision hadmany impacts, including how thecoffinsthemselveswouldbeinterpreted.Astheywouldnotbelocateddirectlynearanyofthe significant wall text, we chose to include brief interpretation on labels displayedalongsidethecoffins.Theselabelswere incorporated intothestructuressurroundingthecoffinstodiscourageanyonefromtouchingthecoffins.Wantingtoavoidobstructingviewswith stanchions, we collaborated with the exhibit preparator, Mark Price, to constructbrightlycoloredframestosurroundthecoffinsatfloorlevel;creatingabarrier.Price’sskillwasalsoputtoworkconstructingatoolboxdisplaycaseforthetools,modeledafterthetoolbox in thePaa JoeCoffinWorksworkshop.Thenatureof theexhibitspaceallowedustoclearly distinguish the section focused on the making of the coffins, including selectedphotographsandvideosfrommytimeinGhanaaswellastheshoecoffin,byhangingamodelofthePaaJoeCoffinWorkssignovertheentrance.Therestoftheexhibitwasopenandfree-flowing.Wechosetoincludetwomainlabels,asthereweremultiplepointsofentrytothespace. The objects and photographs, of course, provided enough color on their own.Consequently,welimitedtheuseofcolortothebarrierssurroundingthecoffinsandthewaxprintsincorporatedintothelabels.

Figure6.ThemainentrancetothefinishedexhibitattheMathersMuseumofWorldCultures.PhotographbyMatthewSieber.Conclusion TheexhibitionopenedtothepubliconAugust14,2018,justunderayearafterIhadreturnedfromGhana.Duringtherunoftheexhibition,weorganizedavarietyofpublicandtargeted


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programming,includingacurator’stalk,tours,andcollaborationswithuniversitycourses.TheexhibitreceivedpositiveresponsesfromaudiencesandclosedonDecember16,2018.Projects such as this one underscore the key importance of fieldwork to inform bothcollectionsandexhibitions.Theopportunity to conductethnographic researchatPaa JoeCoffinWorks, however brief, produced awealth of data to document the objects in ourcollectionandothers.Thisresearchisnowaccessibletointerestedmuseums,includingtheAmerican Folk ArtMuseum in New York City, which used it to inform their 2018-2019exhibitionofPaaJoe’swork.Theopportunitytoobserveprocessesofmaking,andlearnfirst-handfromthepeoplewhocreatedanobjectinthemuseum’scollection,provesinvaluablenotonlyforinstitutionaldocumentation,butalsoincreatingmoreopportunitiesforvisitorstopersonallyconnectwiththeobjectsondisplay.Suchsmall-scaleprojectsarenotwithouttheirchallenges,however.Timeinthefieldwaslimitedbyschedulesandfunding,andconsequentlynotallaspectsoftheuseoffigurativecoffinscouldbeexamined.Inthiswebenefited,likeothers,fromtheworkofscholarsbeforeus and the generosity of our research collaborators. The coffins themselves also provelogistically difficult as such large and attention-commanding objects in relatively smallexhibit spaces.Wewere able to address this through creative display elements and thecarefulbalanceoftextandimages.Fromtheconstruction-filledworkshopinPobimantotheuniversity-basedexhibitionspaceinBloomington,theprocessesofcuratingthisexhibitspannedtwocontinents.Theprojectwasrewardinginmanyways—forthewaysitenrichedthedocumentationofthemuseum’scollections,forhowwewereabletocollaboratewithandlearnfromartists,forhowitdrewattention to both cultural practice andmaking, and for how it engaged diverse publics.Building from other collections-based research projects at the Mathers, Shapes of theAncestorsprovidesanexampleandlearningexperienceofhowresearchandexhibitsuniteinsmaller,universitymuseums.Acknowledgements ManythankstothestaffandfamilyofPaaJoeCoffinWorks—PaaJoe,JacobTetteh-Ashong,BenjaminAmarteyMensah,SamuelKudjeo,SamuelNahr,JusticeBoakye,andDanielAnumJasper—whowent out of theirway to give their knowledge and time to assist with theproject. Robert and Alice Schloss’ donation to the collection, enthusiasm, and generousfinancial support facilitated the entire project. None of this would have been possiblewithoutthecontributionsoftheteamattheMathersMuseum,includingJasonBairdJackson,SarahHatcher,MatthewSieber,EllenSieber,andJonKayamongothers.TheexhibitionandprogrammingwasgenerouslysupportedbyIndianaUniversityCollegeofArtsandScience’sThemester initiative. Iwouldalsopersonally liketo thankoneof theunsungheroeswhofacilitateethnographicresearch;mydedicatedandpatienttaxidriver,BenetAhadji.


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Notes 1.Duringfall2018,theThemesterthemewasAnimal/Human.Thesethemewasafruitfulone for the explorationof the complexlyhumanpractice of sculpturalcoffin production,collection, and ritual use, particularly because a significant number of these works arecreated in animal form. For more on Themester, seehttps://themester.indiana.edu/about/theme/past-themes/animal-human-2018.html,accessedFebruary24,2019.References Cited Bonetti,Roberta.2009.“AbebuuAdekaichezlesGaduGhana:UnRegardAnthropologique

surl’Image.”Histoiredel’ArtetAnthropologie,Paris,coéditionINHA/MuséeduquaiBranly.https://actesbranly.revues.org/227

Bonetti,Roberta.2010.“AlternateHistoriesoftheAbebuuAdekai.”AfricanArts,43(3):14-

33.https://doi.org/10.1162/afar.2010.43.3.14Bonetti,Roberta.2012.“CoffinsforWearandConsumption:AbebuuAdekaiasMemory

MakersAmongtheGaofGhana.”RES:AnthropologyandAesthetics,61-62(Spring-Autumn):262-78.https://www.jstor.org/stable/23647834

Kreamer,ChristineMullen.1994.ALifeWellLived:FantasyCoffinsofKaneQuaye.

UniversityofMissouri-KansasCityGalleryofArt.Secretan,Thierry.1995.GoingIntoDarkness:FantasticCoffinsfromAfrica.London:Thames

andHudson.Englishedition.Tschumi,Regula.2008.TheBuriedTreasuresoftheGa.Salenstein,Switzerland:Benteli.Tschumi,Regula.2014.ConcealedArt:History,TransformationandtheUseofFigurative

PalanquinsandCoffinsoftheGainGhana.Bern,Switzerland:TillSchaapEdition.KristinOttoisaResearchAssociatewiththeMathersMuseumofWorldCultures,aNationalScienceFoundationGraduateFellow,andaPh.D.candidateintheDepartmentofAnthropologyatIndianaUniversity.InadditionstoShapesoftheAncestorsattheMathersMuseumofWorldCultures, she also curatedExtending Lives: Repair andDamage inAfricanArt,whichwasfeaturedattheEskenaziMuseumofArtin2017.ShehaspublishedworkinTeachingSociologyandTheInternationalJournaloftheInclusiveMuseum.Herdissertationresearchfocusesonquestionsofmaintenanceandrepairinmaterialculture.https://doi.org/10.14434/mar.v13i1.26580

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