By Sue Strachan, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune

This article originally appeared here

Exploring the connections between the art and culture of the Kongo peoples of western Central Africa and African-Americans in the U.S., “Kongo Across the Waters” exhibition at New Orleans Museum of Art features more than 160 works from collections and museums from around the world. On Thursday (Feb. 26), the museum hosted a preview opening, where guests were introduced to many pieces that have not been seen in New Orleans before, and according to NOMA’s Bill Fagaly, Françoise Billion Richardson Curator of African Art, “It is a pleasure to be able to demonstrate the connection between the art of Africa and its manifestations in the New World, particularly, the American South.”

Organized by the Harn Museum at the University of Florida and the Royal Museum for Central Africa in Tervuren, Belgium, the exhibition is on view through May 25, 2015.