Creative Africa at the Philadelphia Museum of Art - 6abc Loves the Arts

May 12th, 2016 (WPVI) -- The Philadelphia Museum of Art is presenting a series of exhibitions that will take visitors on a journey through Africa.

It's called Creative Africa and it's a celebration of African art and design with 5 distinct exhibitions, ranging from African fashion and photography to architecture and centuries-old sculptures.

The centerpiece of the show is called Look Again: Contemporary Perspectives on African Art, and it's a collaboration between the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Penn Museum.

"This is a show that's really about looking, taking a look and a look again and a look really close at the work to see what you can learn about them firsthand," says the exhibition's project coordinator, John Vick, who says highlights include ancient bronzes, wood carvings and sculptures, "With over 150 different works that span several hundred years, there's a lot for people to see."

You can explore the world of fashion and textiles from Central and West Africa at the Vlisco and Threads of Tradition exhibitions.

"These are bright, these are colorful. They are pattern-based textiles that are then transformed by dressmakers and tailors into these really amazing fashions," says Vick.

For a look at African-based design techniques, the exhibition takes visitors into the mind of world-renowned architect Francis Kéré, "It's something of a small retrospective of his past architectural and design work," says Vick who adds that it includes an installation that can only be seen at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, "It's this beautiful colorful zones of string...that you can walk through, walk around and truly explore."

Three Photographers/Six Cities looks at photographic work being done throughout Africa.

"This is a show about making visitors feel empowered to look at art," says Vick.

Creative Africa is on display thru September 25th in the Art Museum's Perelman Building. For tickets, go to www.TheArtsinPhilly.org.