Dedication

  
         It is often said that the first have the advantage of setting the standards. 
Although in Roy Sieber’s case, being not only among the first but also brilliant, 
he established the precedents that continue to guide the study and teaching of 
African Art History to this day. Frank Herreman, who collaborated with Roy on a 
number of projects at the Museum for African Art, has said of Roy, “Because of 
his extraordinary generosity of spirit, virtually everyone in the field considered 
themselves his student.” Roy’s departure has left a void in African Art History 
that cannot be filled. In addition to those of us who knew and learned from him, 
generations to come will benefit from his encouragement, wisdom, and ideas.
         I first met Roy and his wife, Sophie, in 1949, when they visited my parents’ 
home in Iowa City. Roy was then a graduate student at the University of Iowa, 
where my father taught. For more than fifty years, our two families have 
remained close friends.
         Of all of Roy’s extraordinary accomplishments as a scholar, teacher, and 
curator, the one I cherish most was in the summer of 1950, one year after our 
first meeting, when Roy’s strong but gentle hand on my back propelled me 
forward as he taught me to ride my older brother’s bicycle in our big front yard. 
I was all of four years old.
         This exhibition is dedicated to the memory of Roy Sieber: scholar, 
treasured teacher, and greatly missed friend.

                                                                                                              Leonardo Lasansky
                                                                                                                         April 2, 2004