March 3, 2022 - 7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

A live tour of Wayne State’s Gordon L. Grosscup Museum of Anthropology and its new exhibit highlighting a selection of objects gathered by recently retired professor Dr. Guerin Montilus to illustrate religious symbolism across the African diaspora. In addition to the exhibit, participants will see behind the scenes of 1500 sq. ft. of gallery space, an Archaeology Lab outfitted with binocular and polarizing microscopes, thin-sectioning equipment, a kiln for ceramic analyses, photographic and reproduction equipment, computers and scanner, and surveying, mapping, and drafting equipment and software. Dr. Montilus, a recently retired professor of Anthropology at Wayne State University, began his career doing fieldwork in Benin, West Africa, where he was eventually installed as a prince of the Kingdom of Tori-Bossito and introduced to the cultural and religious practices and beliefs of the community. He later expanded his fieldwork to Haiti, Cuba and Detroit, following the paths of the African diaspora. Montilus created an extensive and unique collection of material culture that reveals the symbols and stories of religions, showing both their interconnectedness and diversity. The exhibit in the Grosscup features objects created in a variety of media by artists from West Africa, Haiti, Cuba and Detroit and reflects a variety of artistic styles and deities while sharing recognizable symbols signifying retention of shared ideas and practices.