This fall, the Haggerty Museum of Art will host three exhibitions and a full slate of free programs titled “The Otherworld is Home.”
Inspired by the Yorùbá proverb, “Life is a journey, the otherworld is home” (Ayé l’àjò, ọ̀run n’ilé), the Fall season invites a journey across multiple centuries and continents through works from 15th-century Mali to newly created pieces by contemporary artists. Gallery talks, Community Day activities, and more will explore themes of shared human experiences, personal reclamation, cultural identity, spiritual passage, and connection across Africa’s many diasporas. Free and open to the public, “The Otherworld is Home” opens Friday, Aug. 28.
“African Art: Ancient Roots, Enduring Values” features over 40 classical and neoclassical works, highlighting how African artists use traditional craftsmanship to connect the tangible and spiritual worlds. “Iké Udé: Sartorial Anarchy” showcases how Nigerian-born, New York-based artist Iké Udé blends diverse historical garments to celebrate African beauty and challenge siloed cultural identities. “Thresholds” brings together four contemporary multimedia artists whose works dialog with the Haggerty Museum of Art’s African collection to explore and reclaim the resilience of Black cultural memory.
The exhibitions
Headdress (Mwaash aMbooy), mid- to late 20th century
Wood, cloth, leather, cowries, raffia, fur, and beads
20 1/2 x 21 x 16 1/2 in.
2001.16.10
Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Milton Gutglass
Collection of the Haggerty Museum of Art, Marquette University
Featuring over 40 rarely exhibited works from the Haggerty Museum of Art’s collection, “African Art: Ancient Roots, Enduring Values” explores how classical African art bridges the visible world and the invisible spiritual realm. Through forms like masks and divination tools, these objects were intended to inspire society, deepen devotion, and navigate the space between earthly and otherworldly realms.
The exhibition includes classical works alongside neoclassical pieces created by late 20th and 21st century artists for local and global audiences. Together, these works highlight the extraordinary skill, creative innovation, and rigorous apprenticeships that have sustained Africa’s dynamic artistic traditions past and present. See full exhibition description here.
“African Art: Ancient Roots, Enduring Values” was curated by Dr. Henry John Drewal, Evjue-Bascom Professor Emeritus, Departments of Art History and African American Studies, University of Wisconsin–Madison. Dr. Drewal specializes in the arts of the Yorùbá-speaking peoples of West Africa and the African Diaspora.
Support for this exhibition is generously provided by Lilly Endowment Inc.
Nigerian, b. 1964
Sartorial Anarchy #26, 2013
Inkjet print
45 1/2 × 36 in.
Courtesy of Leila Heller Gallery
In “Iké Udé: Sartorial Anarchy,” the Nigerian-born artist Iké Udé merges clothing and objects across diverse eras and cultures to challenge fixed notions of identity. Serving as designer, painter, and model, Udé transforms himself into multifaceted personas that bridge irreconcilable cultural differences through harmonious, elegant self-portraits.
More than a study of fashion, Udé’s work aims to “beautify Africa for the world, one portrait at a time.” Drawing visual inspiration from masters like Vermeer and Jacob Lawrence, his portraits radiate confidence, color, and texture. Udé’s self-portraits invite viewers to reflect on the complex relationship between our inner and outer selves. See full exhibition description here.
Iké Udé: Sartorial Anarchy was curated by Lynne Shumow, Curator for Academic Engagement, Haggerty Museum of Art.
Support for this exhibition is generously provided by Lilly Endowment Inc. and the Emmett J. Doerr Endowment Fund.
Jamaican American, b. 1974
Gold and Shadow, 2020
Stoneware, cobalt oxide, glaze, metal leaf, and acrylic on wood
40 × 30 × 7 in.
Courtesy of the artist
Thresholds features contemporary artists Aisha Tandiwe Bell, Portia Cobb, Stephen Hamilton, and Daniel Minter in a dynamic “call and response” with African works from the Haggerty Museum of Art’s collection. Working across media, these artists bridge the seen and unseen, present and ancestral, to explore the resilience of Black cultural memory.
Bell explores plural diasporic identities, while Cobb documents Gullah Geechee oral histories to resist “forced forgetting.” Hamilton uses traditional Nigerian textile and carving techniques grounded in Yorùbá thought, and Minter assembles found materials through Black Atlantic spiritual traditions to channel ancestral strength.
Together, their works engage the Haggerty’s collection in a participatory exchange, treating history as a living archive actively embodied, critically reflected upon, and renewed in the present. See full exhibition description here.
Organized in partnership with the Indigo Arts Alliance, an artist residency and incubator in Portland, ME committed to the artistic development of Black and Brown Artists.
Support for this exhibition is generously provided by Lilly Endowment Inc. and the Martha and Ray Smith, Jr. Endowment Fund.
Public Programs
The Haggerty Museum of Art’s exhibitions and programs are free, open to the public, and take place on Marquette University’s campus unless otherwise noted. Additional program details and registration information on the Museum’s Events page.
Fall 2026 Public Program Highlights include:
Fall 2026 Discussion and Exhibition Preview
Wednesday, Sept. 9, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Preview the Haggerty Museum of Art’s new Fall exhibitions and hear from scholar of African and African diaspora arts Dr. Henry John Drewal in conversation with artist and educator Daniel Minter, accompanied by exhibiting artists Aisha Tandiwe Bell, Stephen Hamilton and Portia Cobb.
Fall 2026 Opening Reception
Thursday, Sept. 10, 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Celebrate the opening of “The Otherworld is Home,” three interconnected exhibitions exploring themes of personal reclamation, cultural identity, spiritual passage and connection across Africa’s many diasporas.
Lunchtime Gallery talk by Prof. Felicia Caponigri: “Iké Udé: Sartorial Anarchy”
Tuesday, Sept. 22, noon
Join for a lunchtime gallery talk in the current exhibition, “Iké Udé: Sartorial Anarchy,” with Prof. Felicia Caponigri, assistant professor at Marquette University Law School. She will connect themes from her own research on fashion, color and trademark law with the complex photographic work of Iké Udé and his vocabulary of fashion and self-representation.
“The Comings and Goings of Days” by Catey Ott Thompson
Saturday, Sept. 26, 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
“The Comings and Goings of Days” is a deeply personal multimedia performance by Catey Ott Thompson that chronicles her year-long recovery from a devastating knee injury. Through two experimental films and a live dance solo, the work explores healing, identity, resilience, and the rediscovery of self.
Theotokos Lecture: “The Virgin Mary as a Shared Figure?” A Christian-Muslim Dialogue
Tuesday, October 27, 2026, 5 to 7 p.m.
Please join us for a lecture considering where, when, and how Mary has been used to connect or divide Christians and Muslims. The talk will be led by Dr. Rita George-Tvrtković, Dean and Professor of Theology at the University of Saint Mary of the Lake, followed by a response from Marquette professor Dr. Irfan Omar, and further dialogue with the audience.
Lunchtime Talk by Dr. Rita George Tvrtkovic: “Our Lady of Victory or Our Lady of Beauty? Christian Marian Art for/against Muslims”
Wednesday, Oct. 28, noon
Join for a Lunchtime Talk by Dr. Rita George-Tvrtković, dean and professor of theology at the University of Saint Mary of the Lake. This presentation will contrast two sets of Christian Marian images that relate to Islam: those that show Mary against Muslims (“Our Lady of Victory”), versus more positive images with the potential to bring Christians and Muslims together.
“Living Archives”: An African Community Day
Saturday, Nov. 14, noon to 4 p.m.
“Living Archives” invites visitors to experience the living traditions of the African diaspora through food, storytelling, dance, conversation and art. Presented in conjunction with the Haggerty Museum of Art’s Fall 2026 exhibition theme, “The Otherworld is Home,” these experiences explore how cultural memory is preserved, shared and renewed across generations, transforming the museum into a vibrant space for community connection and exchange.
Gallery Talk by Dr. Joseph Ogbonnaya
Wednesday, Nov. 18, noon
Join for a gallery talk with Dr. Joseph Ogbonnaya, associate professor of theology at Marquette University and author of “African Perspectives on Culture and World Christianity.” Ogbonnaya will discuss the vital role of culture in Iké Udé’s work and its universal significance.
On Display Global 2026
Thursday, Dec. 3, 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Join for “On Display Global 2026,” a meditative living sculpture court created by Heidi Latsky Dance and directed by Catey Ott Thompson in honor of the UN’s International Day of Persons with Disabilities.
Additional free public programs continue with lunchtime talks, artist conversations, engaging lectures, and more. All events, festivities, and educational programs are listed with details and registration information on the Museum’s events page.
