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Houston Conwill
Born 1947, Louisville, Kentucky

B.A. Howard University, 1973
M.A. University of Southern California, 1976

"My present works are primarily power objects, and in this respect, they share the same basic belief as African art that it is energy and not matter which is the true nature of things and that this energy or force can be tapped by man through ritual means.
My interpretation involves two basic theories of cumulative power. The first is that there is an accumulation of power through assemblage. That is, energy or power of an object is multiplied by the physical attachment of objects that have been "activated" or energized through ritual. The second involves the accumulation of power through use in ritual. Energy or power is activated and accumulated through ritual; the older the object, the more it has been used, and therefore, the more powerful it becomes. The first theory is very common in African art objects, however, the latter one is totally original and even contradictory to many African assumptions in that after many uses the art object is discarded as useless.
These works are made to be used within a self-styled ritual context. The ritual involves the act of storytelling, offering or libation, and celebration of life. This mixture of magic, power, tale telling, and ritual are the ingredients of what I call "JuJu"."