In memoriam.Keith Nicklin (1946-2002) "Who was that Masked Man?" "No Condition Permanent," "A Great Tree Has Fallen," "A Legend in His Own Time" ... Never easy to write an obituary. Perhaps one can for an elder--far harder for a mate. Who was this endearing man who jousted with the world from a coracle and lived his art as much as he wrote it? Keith Nicklin may have enjoyed wearing masks more than he did studying them, but that doesn't mean he was less a scholar for it. His was an infectious madness, and in a crazy world, we need such exuberance. And, no, we shouldn't make more of folks in death than they were in life. Keith could be exasperating and unpredictable, as Jill Salmons (wife, colleague, co-conspirator) eloquently expressed in her wonderful eulogy: Living with Keith was like camping on the slopes of a volcano--much of the time he was dormant, or gently smoldering, but there was always the knowledge, the thrill, yet the dread that soon he was going to erupt into some kind of unexpected, dramatic activity, be it fieldwork, writing or producing another weird and wonderful artwork. Keith's funeral, an appropriate blend of traditional English ceremony, African drummers, bamboo coffin, and libations at the grave, served to remind us of the real cycle of life: Keith died of cancer on his birthday, September 2, 2002, and the funeral was held on his wedding anniversary. Testimonials flowed in from colleagues in Nigeria, museum curators all over England, and African-art scholars everywhere. All recalled in touching personal words his dedication and dignity, his wisdom and wit. After completing an M.A. in anthropology at University College, London, in 1970, Keith became an ethnographer for the Nigerian National Commission for Museums and Monuments. His most important fieldwork began at this time as he surveyed and collected in the Cross River area, later expanding into the whole of southeastern Nigeria. In addition to collecting a vast range of material culture for the National Museum, Oron, he documented and photographed archaeological sites, local craft industries, individual artists, and village shrines, working incessantly, often in remote areas, under extremely trying conditions. Without doubt this was Keith's happiest time. He loved his work and the Cross River peoples and was able to pass on his enthusiasm and skills to a number of young Nigerian undergraduates seconded to him to appreciate the importance of ethnographic research and the collection of oral history. In his own words: I am a proponent of in-depth ethnographic methodology of the observer/participant kind, and combine this approach with cross-cultural analysis of key institutions, beliefs and practices. I am primarily interested in African art and material culture from archaeological evidence, through "traditional" village contexts, to contemporary and urban modes of expression. I am concerned with the concept of art as social commentary, and with the analysis and appreciation of material artworks. Wherever appropriate I have developed new field techniques, e.g., retrieval or rescue studies, and applied scientific methods, e.g., pyrometry for recording pottery firing temperatures, and thermoluminescence (TL) analysis for dating core samples of copper alloy castings discovered in the field. This fairly dry description in no way captures the enthusiasm and love with which Keith engaged "the field," both African and art. Clearly Nigeria gave him room and cause to develop his talents. Cross River Fever? Probably. Whatever, no one worked or played harder while in "the field." And the field really was home for him. Keith and Jill would take off for various parts of the world at the drop of a mask. There is much material from recent trips to Ghana and Brazil still unfinished, as are various notes from southeastern Nigeria. Jill recalls: I loved doing fieldwork with Keith, and I know we were a good duo--me nosy as hell, continually prying into history and rituals, Keith methodically photographing, measuring, recording the technology accurately, albeit in terrible handwriting, and spending vast amounts of time getting to the heart of the men's culture through long drinking sessions in local palmwine and kaikai bars. Keith and Jill did finally return to England, and in 1979 Keith became curator of the Powell-Cotton Museum of African and Asian Zoology zoology, branch of biology concerned with the study of animal life. From earliest times animals have been vitally important to man; cave art demonstrates the practical and mystical significance animals held for prehistoric man. and Ethnography in Birchington, Kent. He was able to promote the importance of the Powell-Cotton African collection and create a number of new exhibitions. He also set up close academic links with the anthropology department of the University of Kent. Moving on in 1982 to the Horniman Museum The Horniman Museum is a museum in Forest Hill, South London, England. Commissioned in 1898, it opened in 1901 and was designed by Charles Harrison Townsend. The museum was founded by Victorian tea trader Frederick John Horniman and contained his collection of natural in south London South London (known colloquially as South of the River) is the area of London south of the River Thames. Some neighbourhoods north of the Thames have South London postal codes (SW), but these neighbourhoods are classified as West or Central London. , as Keeper of Ethnography Keith developed a number of important exhibitions there as well. Again we have Jill's perspective: Nothing gave him greater pleasure than taking the piss out of bureaucrats or those hapless people brought into the museum world to implement standardization and the ghastly government strictures that have stultified creativity. It was his total dismay at this wave of crass paperisation that led him to leave his beloved Horniman. Keith worked hard and accomplished more than even he realized. Some of us may have pestered him for not writing more, but he did write (see page 90 for a list of his publications). He was a constant critic of himself and always self-effacing, despite a blustery blus·ter v. blus·tered, blus·ter·ing, blus·ters v.intr. 1. To blow in loud, violent gusts, as the wind during a storm. 2. a. To speak in a loudly arrogant or bullying manner. exterior in professional company. Keith's careful analyses of the Oron ancestor carvings in his major monograph, Ekpu: The Oron Ancestor Figures of South Eastern Nigeria (1999), and his detailed studies of skin-covered mask production and Lower Niger bronzes demonstrated his concern with serious scholarship. His many articles on ceramics, metal works, and carvings appeared in a variety of important journals such as African Arts African arts Visual, performing, and literary arts of sub-Saharan Africa. What gives art in Africa its special character is the generally small scale of most of its traditional societies, in which one finds a bewildering variety of styles. , Ceramic Review, Nyame, Pottery Quarterly, Raw Vision, and World Archaeology, but some of his favorite journals were decidedly obscure--his devotion to the hoary hoar·y adj. hoar·i·er, hoar·i·est 1. Gray or white with or as if with age. 2. Covered with grayish hair or pubescence: hoary leaves. 3. Journal of the Nigerian Field Society being a case in point. There were important contributions as well to anthologies on African arts and museology mu·se·ol·o·gy n. The discipline of museum design, organization, and management. mu  se·o·log , such as Ways of the Rivers
and Collectors: Expressions of Self and Other.In addition to his published scholarship, Keith's museum work--perhaps even more valuable for communicating about Africa--was exceptional. He rebuilt the museum at Oron in southeastern Nigeria and created or consulted on many important exhibitions throughout England. Especially memorable at the Horniman were his comprehensive but typically lively and popular Yoruba show ("Yoruba: A Celebration of African Art African art, art created by the peoples south of the Sahara. The predominant art forms are masks and figures, which were generally used in religious ceremonies. ," 1991-92) and his contributions to the permanent "African Worlds" exhibition. Keith's ingenuity was not exhausted by his excellent museum work but led him to find extraordinary ways to fund further fieldwork, such as the instance when he and colleagues gained support from the Royal Artillery “RGA” redirects here. For other uses, see RGA (disambiguation). The Royal Regiment of Artillery, generally known as the Royal Artillery (RA), is an Arm of the British Army. Despite its name, it is made up of a number of regiments. . Still, it is as an exceptionally human individual that most of us remember him. There was something deliberately, decidedly traditional about Keith's approaches to both his personal and professional life. Marriage was forever, children really were your flesh and blood, home was a man's castle, hospitality was always generous, meals and beverages were meant to be substantial. Whether objects or people, old things were to be treasured for their historical virtues and for the forms of life they represented. In a similar fashion, professionally Keith sought to align himself with a certain historical tradition of expatriate scholars of African art whom he considered to be highly professional and culturally liberated--people like Kenneth Murray
Sir Kenneth Murray FRS FRSE is a British molecular biologist. His wife is Noreen Murray (nee Parker), also a biologist. , Bill Fagg, and Roy Sieber. This is not to say Keith considered himself their equal, or even one of their company. But they were, in a sense, his heroes, his role models. After leaving the Horniman, Keith became an art consultant and gentleman farmer gentleman farmer n. pl. gentlemen farmers A man of independent means who farms chiefly for pleasure rather than income. as he and Jill worked to restore a wonderful sixteenth-century farmhouse at Vinesend. Some of us were fortunate enough to share in Keith and Jill's enduring craziness in the English countryside. We will never forget the Glitter Party in Bromyard, where our Camden Market Camden Market is a large craft and clothing market in Camden Town. It is the fourth most popular visitor attraction in London, attracting approximately 100,000 people each weekend. finery was trumped by their spectacular Cross River fancy hats. Nor will students ever forget "that guy in the African pajamas pajamas Noun, pl US pyjamas pajamas npl (US) → pijama msg; piyama msg (LAM ." Nor can Jill forget fighting with Keith over who would wear her colorful coats. Some worried about Keith's clothing habits, but, yes, truth be told, he was a Cross River dresser! And his constant urge to masquerade was displayed not only in Nigeria with his group, Urban Gorilla, but in rural England as well. Our kids still remember an afternoon walk in a properly hoary English woods with Keith lurching out from behind trees in full gorilla costume. Most famous of his costume wardrobe was his Yuletide disguise as a full Christmas tree Christmas tree Evergreen tree, usually decorated with lights and ornaments, to celebrate the Christmas season. The use of evergreen trees, wreaths, and garlands as symbols of eternal life was common among the ancient Egyptians, Chinese, and Hebrews. complete with lights. An old English Old English: see type; English language; Anglo-Saxon literature. Old English or Anglo-Saxon Language spoken and written in England before AD 1100. It belongs to the Anglo-Frisian group of Germanic languages. farmhouse--where else to display a delightfully eclectic personal collection of African art and objects trouves. Keith's office in the tower of the Horniman had a gorilla's head looking out the window over the main entrance. Like all proper academic offices, his was a chaotic whirl of books, papers, carvings, "art brut art brut (French; “raw art”) Art produced by people outside the established art world, particularly crude, inexperienced, or obscene works created by the untrained or the mentally ill. ," one day I kicked something under my chair only to discover a pair of metal tennis shoes tennis shoes npl → zapatillas fpl de tenis tennis shoes npl → (chaussures fpl de) tennis mpl tennis shoes tennis , a gift from Sokari Douglas Camp Sokari Douglas Camp (born 1958 in Nigeria) is an artist who has had exhibitions all over the world and was the receipient of awarded the Henry Moore Bursary award. She is the daughter of Kalabaris, an ethnic group living in the Niger Delta. . Indeed, art is everywhere, and Keith seldom missed the diverse and unique expressions of human creativity. Keith did serious fieldwork, published important research, and contributed to excellent exhibitions of African arts; but most important to us was his respect for artists and performers, his delight in sharing that extraordinary joy which people put into their arts. Art is to be savored, handled, consumed, not just studied. Keith gave
Keith Gave us that wonderful enthusiasm. If anyone is qualified to dance with the ancestors, it is this man. And in his company we are quite sure that those ancestors will have some riotously RIOTOUSLY, pleadings. A technical word properly used in an indictment for a riot, and ex vi termini, implies violence. 2 Sess. Cas. 13; 2 Str. 834; 2 Chit. Cr. Law, 489. good times. A final celebration of his transition from this world to that of the ancestors is planned by Jill and their sons, Jon and Keiran: a return to Oron with a small Ghanaian coffin (appropriately in the form of a lion) containing token symbolic items. An occasion no doubt for the creation of a memorial cement statue by Sunday Jack Akpan. Publications by Keith Nicklin 1971. "Stability and Innovation in Pottery Manufacture, "World Archaeology 3, 1. 1972. "An Indian Wheel," Pottery Quarterly 39,10. 1973. "Aban Isong: The Ibibio Ceremonial Palmwine Pot," Nigerian Field 38, 4. "Man the Homemaker," in Man the Craftsman, ed. Shelagh Weir. Peoples of the Earth 19. Danbury Press, Grolier Enterprises. "Man the Traveler," in Man the Craftsman, ed. Shelagh Weir. Peoples of the Earth 19. Danbury Press, Grolier Enterprises. 1974. "Nigerian Skin-covered Masks," African Arts 8, 3. 1975. "Agiloh: The Giant Mbube Xylophone xylophone (zī`ləfōn) [Gr.,=wood sound], musical instrument having graduated wooden slabs that are struck by the player with small, hard mallets. The slabs are usually arranged like a keyboard, and the range varies from two to four octaves. ," Nigerian Field 39, 2. "The Rape of Nigeria's Antiquities," African Arts 8, 3. 1976. "Bokyi Barkcloth Barkcloth is a soft, thick, slightly textured fabric so named because it has a rough surface like that of tree bark. Barkcloth is usually made of densely woven cotton fibers. : An Ethnographic Retrieval Study in S.E. Nigeria" (with Jill Salmons), Baessler-Archiv 20. "Ibibio Metalwork metalwork. Copper, gold, and silver were probably fashioned into ornaments and amulets as early as the Neolithic period. Goldwork and silverwork have since employed the talents of leading artisans and artists in making jewelry, plate, inlays, and sculpture. ," African Arts 10,1. "Border Incident, 1914," Nigerian Field 41, 4. 1977. Guide to the National Museum Oron. Lagos: Federal Dept. of Antiquities. "European Replicas of African Art Objects in Their Cultural Contexts," Baessler-Archiv 25. "S. J. Akpan of Nigeria" (with Jill Salmons), African Arts 11,1. "Churchill in Ibibioland' (under pseudonym pseudonym (s  `dənĭm) [Gr.,=false name], name assumed, particularly by writers, to conceal identity. A writer's pseudonym is also referred to as a nom de plume (pen name). of Udoh Ebon
Nkanta, with Jill Salmons under pseudonym of Ma Soinsoi), Nigerian Field
42, 3.1978. "The Utilization of Local Skills and Materials in a Nigerian Museum," Museums Journal 78. 1979. "The Location of Pottery Manufacture," Man 14, 3. "No Condition Is Permanent: Cultural Dialogue in the Cross River Region," Museum Ethnographers Group Newsletter 7. Also published in Nigerian Field (1983) 48, 1-4. "Skin-covered Masks of Cameroon," African Arts 12,1. 1980. "Archaeological Sites in the Cross River Region," Nyame Akuma 16. "Annang Ibibio Raffia raffia (răf`ēə) or raphia (rā`fēə), fiber obtained from the raffia palm of Madagascar, exported for various uses, such as tying up plants that require support, binding together vegetables Weaving," in Textiles of Africa, eds. Dale Idiens and K.G. Ponting. Also published in Textile History 11. Bath (UK): Pasold Research Fund. 1981. "A Bronze 'Carnivore Skull' from Oron, Nigeria" (with S. J. Fleming), MASCA MASCA Museum Applied Science Center for Archaeology (University of Pennsylvania Museum) MASCA Miniature Australian Shepherd Club of America (Winter Park, FL) MASCA Middle Atlantic States Correctional Association Journal (Philadelphia) 1, 4. "Pottery Production and Distribution in Southeast Niger," in Production and Distribution: A Ceramic Viewpoint, eds. H. Howard and E. Moms. British Archaeological Review S120. Oxford. "Ceramic Pyrometry py·rom·e·ter n. Any of various thermometers used for measuring high temperatures. py ro·met : Two Ibibio Examples," in Production
and Distribution: A Ceramic Viewpoint, eds. H. Howard and E. Moms.
British Archaeological Review S120. Oxford."Rape and Restitution: The Cross River Region Considered," Museum (UNESCO UNESCO: see United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. UNESCO in full United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization ) 33, 4. Powell-Cotton Museum: Man and Museum. Canterbury: University of Kent Library. "Ethnography at the Powell-Cotton Museum," Museum Ethnographers Group Newsletter 11. "African Art," in Art and Artists, ed. David Piper David Piper (born December 2nd, 1930 in Edgware[1]) is a British former Formula One and sports car racing driver from England. He participated in 3 Grands Prix, debuting on July 18, 1959. He scored no championship points. . London: Mitchell Beazley. 1982. "Analysis of Two Bronzes from a Nigerian Asunaja Shrine" (with S.J. Fleming), MASCA Journal (Philadelphia) 2: 2. "An Anthropomorphic Having the characteristics of a human being. For example, an anthropomorphic robot has a head, arms and legs. Bronze from the Cross River Region," Bulletin Musee Barbier-Mueller (Geneva Geneva, canton and city, Switzerland Geneva (jənē`və), Fr. Genève, canton (1990 pop. 373,019), 109 sq mi (282 sq km), SW Switzerland, surrounding the southwest tip of the Lake of Geneva. ) 16. "New Archaeological Sites in the Lower Cross River Region" (with Violetta Ekpo), Nigerian Field 47: 3. "On Ekkpo, Ekpe, Ogbom" (with Jill Salmons), African Arts 15, 4. "Fred Merfield and the Powell-Cotton Museum," Nigerian Field 47:1-3. 1983, "Traditional Preservation Methods: Some African Practices Observed," Museum (UNESCO) 35, 2. "Kuyu Sculpture at the Powell-Cotton Museum," African Arts 17, 1. "The 'Coracles 83' Project at the Horniman Museum," Museums Journal 83, 4. Powell-Cotton Museum and House (with L. R. Barton et al.). English Life Publications. "The Cross River Bronzes," in The Art of Metal in Africa, ed. Marie-Therese Brincard. New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of : African-American Institute. 1984. "Cross River Studies" (guest editorial, special issue on Cross River arts), African Arts 18, 1. "Cross River Art Styles" (with Jill Salmons), African Arts 18, 1. 1986. "Symbols of Ritual and Political Authority in the Cross River Region with Special Reference to the Figure of a Man Seated on a Barrel," in Archaeological 'Objectivity' in Interpretation. Word Archaeology Congress. Southampton and London: Allen & Unwin. 1987. "The Yako Age-set Pot: Yiko Sowa," Museum Ethnographers Group Newsletter 21. "The New Africa Displays at the Horniman Museum," Museum Ethnographers Group Newsletter 21. "The Art of Eastern Nigeria, by G.I. Jones" (review article), Museum Ethnographers Group Newsletter 21. "Annang Funeral Shrine, Applique Panel." London Pictoral Charts Education Trust. 1989." A Calabar Chief," in A Question of Image, ed. Elizabeth Edwards Elizabeth Edwards (born Mary Elizabeth Anania on July 3, 1949, in Jacksonville, Florida) is an attorney. Her husband, John Edwards, was a U.S. Senator from North Carolina, the 2004 United States Democratic vice-presidential nominee, and is a candidate for the Democratic . Journal of Museum Ethnography 1. "Art of Africa" (with Jill Salmons), Crafts (Nov.). 1990. "The Epic of the Ekpu: Ancestor Figures of Oron, South East Nigeria," in The Politics of the Past, ed. F. Gathercole and D. Lowenthal. One World Archaeology Series. London: Unwin Hyman. 1991. Yoruba: A Celebration of African Art. London: Horniman Museum. Patterns of Life around the World (with K. Teague and M. Hitchcock), ed. Natalie Tobert. London: Homiman Museum. "An Ejagham Emblem of the Ekpe Society," Tribal Art. Bulletin Musee Barbier-Mueller, Geneva. "Ekpe in the Rio del Rey Del Rey may refer to:
1992. "The Cross River Region of Southeast Nigeria and Southwest Cameroun: A Cultural Perspective," in Abstracts, ed. B. M. Barkindo. Lagos: National Boundary Commission. 1993. "Celui qui voulait Dieu," Arts d'Afrique Noire 85. (French version of "Symbols of Ritual and Political authority ..." 1986.) 1994. "A Tribute to John Povey' (guest editorial, special issue Memorial to John Povey), African Arts 27, 1. 1995. "Nigerian Cement Sculptures" (with Diana O'Sullivan), in From Marble to Chocolate: The Conservation of Modern Sculpture, ed. Jackie Heuman. London: Archetype archetype (är`kĭtīp') [Gr. arch=first, typos=mold], term whose earlier meaning, "original model," or "prototype," has been enlarged by C. G. Jung and by several contemporary literary critics. Publications. 1997. "Les Ogoni et les peuples de la Cross River" (with Jill Salmons), in Arts du Nigeria: Collection du Musee des Arts d'Afrique et d'Oceanie, ed. Jean-Hubert Martin et al. Paris: Reunion des Musees Nationaux. 1999. Ekpu: The Oron Ancestors of South Eastern Nigeria. Contributions in Critical Museology and Material Culture. London: Homiman Museum, and Museu Antropologico da Universidade de Coimbra. "Brazilian Candomble Altar for Ogun," in Altars African Worlds Information Booklet. London: Horniman Museum. "Benin Voudon Altar for Mammy Wata," in Altars African Worlds Information Booklet. London: Horniman Museum. "Ekpo Masks," in Case Three African Worlds Information Booklet. London: Horniman Museum. "Skin-covered Masks," in Case Three African Worlds Information Booklet. London: Horniman Museum. "Ibibio Figures," in Case Three African Worlds Information Booklet. London: Horniman Museum. 2000. "Quest for Verb 1. quest for - go in search of or hunt for; "pursue a hobby" quest after, go after, pursue look for, search, seek - try to locate or discover, or try to establish the existence of; "The police are searching for clues"; "They are searching for the Adventure: Powell-Cotton Family Enterprise," in the Collections issue of Contributions in Critical Museology and Material Culture, ed. Karel Arnaut. London: Horniman Museum, and Universidade de Coimbra. 2001. "Quest for the Cross River Skin-covered Mask: Methodology, Reality and Reflection," in the Collections issue of Contributions in Critical Museology and Material Culture, ed. Karel Arnaut. London: Horniman Museum, and Universidade de Coimbra. 2002. "Lower Niger Bronze Industries and the Archaeology of the Niger Delta The Niger Delta, the delta of the Niger River in Nigeria, is a densely populated region sometimes called the Oil Rivers because it was once a major producer of palm oil. " (with EM. Peek), in Ways of the Rivers: Arts and Environment of the Niger Delta, ed. M. Anderson and P.M. Peek. Los Angeles: UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History The Fowler Museum at UCLA or more commonly, The Fowler is a museum on the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) which explores art and material culture primarily from Africa, Asia and the Pacific, and the Americas, past and present. . "Obolo Arts," in Arts of the Niger Delta, eds. M. Anderson and P.M. Peek. Los Angeles: UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History. Forthcoming. "Popular and Commercial Art in Ghana: Recycling Text, Image and Materiel ma·te·ri·el or ma·té·ri·el n. The equipment, apparatus, and supplies of a military force or other organization. See Synonyms at equipment. " Journal of Museum Ethnography. "Mammi Wata as Global Bricoleur," Raw Vision. London. "Concrete Images: Art of the Nigerian Cement Sculptor," Raw Vision. London. "Donatus Acquandoh of Ghana," African Arts. "Ejagham." Entry in The Dictionary of Art, African volume. Macmillan. PHILIP M. PEEK is a professor of anthropology at Drew University and currently a visiting fellow at the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts The Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts is an art gallery and museum located on the campus of the University of East Anglia, Norwich in the United Kingdom. It is housed in one of the first major public buildings to be designed by Norman Foster. , University of East Anglia “UEA” redirects here. For other uses, see UEA (disambiguation). Academically, it is one of the most successful universities founded in the 1960s, consistently ranking amongst Britain's top higher education institutions; 19th in the Sunday Times University League Table 2006 . Most recently, with Martha Anderson, he co-curated "The Ways of the Rivers: Arts and Environment of the Niger Delta" at the UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History and co-edited the associated book. BARRY HALLEN is a professor of philosophy and chair of the Department of Philosophy and Religion at Morehouse College. He is also a fellow of the W. E. B. Du Bois Institute The W. E. B. Du Bois Institute for African and African-American Research http://dubois.fas.harvard.edu/index.html is located at Harvard University. It is named for the first African American to receive a Ph.D. from Harvard University (1895). And it was established in 1969. , Harvard University. |
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