Artist Statement: This African mask with its carved male head and heart supporting an altered 1700’s English Bible and African Rosary Beads symbolizes Hebrews 8:10, “But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be My people.” The mind and the heart are referenced throughout Holy Scripture. In Biblical times the head was considered the source of intellect and knowledge and the heart was the seat of emotions, will, and desires. Together the two terms cover the whole of man’s inward nature that God wants to influence through His Word.
Traditional African masks have a spiritual and religious meaning and serve an important role in rituals and ceremonies with varied purposes, like ensuring a good harvest, addressing tribal needs in time of peace or war, or conveying spiritual presences in initiation rituals, weddings, or burial ceremonies. I hope to show through all of my indigenous peoples’ themed art that the mystery and ways of Jesus can be embraced in diverse cultures, and to convey that people of all cultures are deeply loved by Jesus and are created in the divine image of God.