The Krannert Art Museum at the University of Illinois is assembling an exhibition of art from Africa's Swahili coast. Organizers say it demonstrates the interconnectivity of East Africa, the Arab world, and Asia. The exhibition is titled "World on the Horizon: Swahili Arts Across the Indian Ocean." It opens in the fall of 2017.
The nearly 200 objects range in size from small amulets to large architectural elements such as door frames and lintels. An art history professor from the university and one of the museum's curators traveled to Kenya, Tanzania and Oman to find items at museums and private collections.
The exhibition will travel to the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art in summer 2018 and UCLA in fall 2018.
