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Minutes for AFRI-COBRA Meeting, July 30, 1978

-Meeting opens with critique of Frank Smiths work.  When questioned on his use of symbols, Smith says he is trying to picture sound moving, African masks, the sun, and in making units next to each other as well as overlapping series of small images he makes a quilt-like quality.

-The questions of frames, size, strength, portability, gallery and home hanging arise out of the critique.  Stevens suggests silk screens the size of doors in aiming towards producing art for a surface that everyone is already in possession of.  Donaldson emphasizes the importance of images being available to a lot of people, and AFRI-COBRA'S dedication to produce prints every year.  He brings up the importance of symetry and likens it to the registers in Egyptian art giving it its order.  He follows with a story about the hornbill an African symbol.  The birds nesting rituals result in the survival of only the strongest offspring.  This bird which is found all over Africa, particularly among the Senufo, is associated with strength, endurance and our survival.  As the surviving hornbill offspring is a super race so should be the survivors of the middle passage.

-In Frank Smiths second work the image of clasped hands is noticed.

-Neal brings up the concept of deep structure in relation to Smiths work, a concept he further explores with Donaldson, who adds the felling of the subliminal that emenates from the work a wholeness....all making it a very personal piece. 

-Anderson notices the circular structure of the work, conotating the wealth that circular forms stand for, the sun, ovaries, the world....

-Auld also confirms the spiraling whirlpool effect of viewing the piece.

-Smith, "Much of my work has to do with spirals, if you start at that orange circle you can spiral out to the edge of the piece."

-Donaldson- The spiral is derived from a register, rythm, order, a spiral requires an order.

-A spiral can be related to life-the quick pace of youth that broadens out towards middle age.

-?What if people who had something special could "jump a ring"?