COLUMBIA, Md. — "I want other people to know about Africa, so what do I do? I want to start a museum."
That's exactly what Doris Ligon did nearly 45 years ago, when she and her late husband, Dr. Claude Ligon, started what would become the African Art Museum of Maryland.
"If I can learn all I can learn about other people’s cultures, I want to share it," she said.
The Ligons began their journey of sharing African art by taking pieces to schools. Doris says they were not museum-worthy, rather something you would find in a store or marketplace.
"But they came from Africa so we taught the concept of African art," she said.
Eventually they collected enough museum-quality pieces to open a brick-and-mortar museum in Howard County. They moved to their current location at the Long Reach Village Center in Columbia in 2020.
Ligon said they have at least 3,000 pieces in the collection, representing the 55 countries in Africa. Tapestries, masks, statues, books, clothes and jewelry are just a few of the items on display.
She says part of the success of the museum over the last 44 years is the dedicated members on the board, including long-time board member Scot Faulkner.
"There’s an intimacy here, you’re not sitting there with huge crowds with pieces in the distance," he said.
One of the more unique pieces at the museum, donated by Faulkner, is a mask that almost stretches from the floor to ceiling. It is from Malawi called a Kasiyamaliro.
"It is sort of an antelope-based figure, that is basically the guide to the spirit world," he said. "It is one of the largest masks in Africa and it is unique because there are a lot of masks that are only on the head or the upper body, this one you are basically in the body."
Jacqueline Kakembo is another long-time board member and world traveler. She said one area the museum focuses on is textiles, from the traditional like silk, to dresses made of tree bark.
"In the early, early days in East Africa, particularly Uganda, the fabric was well cared for, well treated. Shedding was done by traditional means from the bark of the tree, properly treated and then it was used as a royal garment," she said.
The museum has been a true labor of love for Ligon, who is still involved with it at the age of 88. She says her one hope for guests who come to the museum is they walk out learning something they didn't know when they came in.
"Its exciting to me if I learn something. And then what good is it learning it at this age, or any age, if I can’t share it?"
The African Art Museum of Maryland is holding a birthday celebration as it enters its 45th year. The Festival of the Arts of Africa is Saturday September 21 at the museum. It is a free event that begins at 1 p.m.
