Simone Leigh, Cupboard VIII, 2018

Narrator: When you approach this sculpture—especially from kid height—it may look like a giant haystack. It’s actually made out of raffia—a kind of dried palm leaf used as a building and craft material in West Africa. Simone Leigh uses her sculpture to celebrate the women of the African diaspora—meaning women whose ancestors come from Africa, no matter where they live now. On top of the raffia skirt, you’ll see the form of a woman made in a glowing, brown-glazed clay. If you look closely, you’ll see that her head takes the form of a jug. Leigh modeled this form on jugs made by enslaved people in the American South. The figure has no eyes, mouth, or nose—the sense of expression comes entirely from the tilt of her head, and the open gesture of her arms.