October 4, 2010 — Michelle Kisliuk, an associate professor of music in the University of Virginia's College and Graduate school of Arts & Sciences and a performance theorist, will give a Lunchtime Talk on the U.Va. Art Museum's exhibition "African Art: Beyond the Modernist Lens" on Oct. 12 from noon to 1 p.m. 

Kisliuk earned a doctorate in performance studies from New York University in 1991 and has been a Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow and Laura Boulton Senior Fellow in Ethnomusicology.

Her areas of scholarship include ethnographic writing, performance theory and African music and dance.

Kisliuk's talk will address the implications of African art displays in Western museums, addressing historical and neo-colonial notions of "primitivism" within museum conventions. She will also focus on a new awareness of the importance of performance in understanding these compelling objects, many of which were made to be used in ritual performances involving music, dance and full-body costume, but which are transformed in meaning when put on display.

"African Art: Beyond the Modernists Lens" will be on view through Dec. 23, and complements the visiting exhibition "Man Ray, African Art and the Modernist Lens" on view through Oct. 10.

The museum hosts Lunchtime Talks on the second Tuesday of each month from noon to 1 p.m. These tours offer the opportunity to join curators and faculty as they explore topics related to museum collections and exhibitions.

Lunchtime Talks are free and open to the public. For information, call 434-243-2050 or e-mail museumoutreach@virginia.edu. The museum is located at 155 Rugby Road, one block from the Rotunda.