Olayami Dabls is careful to call attention to the distinction between material culture and fine art. After working as an artist and curator for the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in the 1970s, Dabls shifted directions and founded the MBAD African Bead Museum in 1994 to reintroduce African culture and healing into the Detroit community.
The artist had noticed that much of the African American history museum’s collections were regarded with fear and misunderstanding, particularly as they were viewed through a colonial, European lens. With MBAD, Dabls decided to honor ancestral creation and directed his energy to fulfilling “a need in our community to offer a true experience, free of European constructs and manipulation that furthers cultural differences.” He focused not on entertainment or profit but rather on the healing power of creation.
What emerged was a massive outdoor project spanning two blocks at the corner of Grand River and West Grand Boulevard. Comprised of dozens of assemblages and installations, MBAD focuses on four materials common throughout formerly industrial Detroit: iron, stone, wood, and mirrored glass. Each had a spiritual power, too. Iron and stone for their connection to our bodies and the Earth, and mirrors for their reflective properties. Wood, too, embodies the strength and grounding qualities of trees.
Perhaps the most recognizable of these works is the “Nkisi House,” from the Iron Teaching Rocks How to Rust series. Nkisi are objects inhabited by spirits, a concept that originated in the Congo Basin and was brought to the Americas with the transatlantic slave trade. Covered in mirrored shards, painted panels, and other found objects, “Nkisi House” is both an alluring structure and a divine invitation.
Dabls considers public art to be one of the underutilized modes of healing in Western cultures, particularly as people gravitate toward treating symptoms rather than rooting out their causes. He believes projects like MBAD can “trigger things in people through sight and sound, such as forgotten memories and deep realizations,” connecting visitors to one another and those who came before. He says:
Our African ancestors used material culture to convey information about themselves, their identity, and to send messages for healing and protection. Material culture was used to share stories from the past to the present. It was used to heal, the same way we go to a doctor or psychiatrist today. Cultural materials like masks, textiles, and carvings communicate a very specific message to educate people, relieve stress, and act as medicine.
Unlike most museums, which separate curation from the gift shop, Dabls considers the bead store and exhibitions as one, offering visitors the opportunity to create within the space and take a piece with them.
Next month at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, Detroit Cosmologies presents 45 years of the artist’s practice, from his site-specific installations to found object assemblages. The retrospective attempts to reframe “how museums can hold history, ritual, and community,” while highlighting how MBAD remains an active, participatory site of cultural creation and memory.
MBAD is also one of several artist environments that began as a grassroots effort in Detroit and is now gaining institutional recognition. Tyree Guyton’s magical Heidelberg Project has seen similar accolades in recent years.
Detroit Cosmologies runs from April 25 to July 12. Find more from MBAD and Dabls on their website.
