Closed Summer 2024

Beginning May 27, we will be closed as part of Oberlin College’s Sustainable Infrastructure Program.

Learn More

Address
Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin College
87 North Main Street, Oberlin, OH 44074
440.775.8665

Hours

Tuesday — Saturday 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Monday, Sunday Closed
Open until 5:00 p.m. & always free

Exhibitions & Events

The Allen presents changing exhibitions along with engaging guest speakers and public programs.

Learn More

Art at the AMAM

The Allen's collection is particularly strong in 17th century Dutch and Flemish painting, Japanese prints, early modern art, African art, and more.

Learn More

Collections

Conservation

Provenance Research

Image Licensing

Art Donations

Learn

Explore the full range of museum programs through free events, guided and self-guided tours, and resources for professors and PreK-12 teachers.

Learn More

Resources

Find podcasts, activities, and information for all age groups.

View All Resources

Join & Support

Support for the museum continues our tradition of bringing art to the people.

Learn More

Tuesday Tea / Our Mothers

Tuesday, March 14, 2023 at 3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Tuesday Tea / Our Mothers

Tuesday, March 14, 2023 at 3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

The Helmet Mask (Gelede) in the Allen’s collection is part of a larger ensemble with which men in southern Nigeria embody and reenact the divine life-creating force of “our mothers,” women who having passed their reproductive years are the source of both humans and gods in Yorùbá cosmology. Visiting assistant professor Fernanda Villarroel Lamoza will discuss how Gelede festivals provide a conceptual framework to engage with our mothers as an abstract principle. In doing so, she will outline an in-depth analysis of the intricate arrangement of snakes, birds, and knives layered in tiers in this mask, as a form of coiffure framing the serene facial features distinctive of Gelede.

Access Statement:
These events are held in a wheelchair- and rolling walker-accessible building. The lecture space is wheelchair accessible, with moveable seating, and near wheelchair-accessible restrooms. Restrooms are gender-specific; visitors are invited to use the restroom of their preference. No listening devices or ASL interpretation will be available at this event. Most talks will be recorded and available with closed captions on the museum’s Vimeo page after the event. Please email access questions to Jill Greenwood, jgreenwo@oberlin.edu.

Yorùbá peoples, Nigeria, Helmet Mask (Gelede), 20th century. Wood, paint, and kaolin. Gift in honor of Alexandra Gould (OC 2011), 2011.26.47.

[alt text] This wooden carving depicts a stylized face with enlarged eyes, carved with slits. Adorned on the head, objects including a knife, birds, and snakes form together into a helmet.

Memberships

Support appreciation for original works of art by becoming a museum member.

Join Today