The Toledo Museum of Art presents Ethiopia at the Crossroads, an extraordinary exhibition celebrating the artistic traditions of Ethiopia from their origins to the present day. Seated in the Horn of Africa between Europe and the Middle East, Ethiopia is an intersection of diverse cultures, religions and climates. Its access to key waterways and strategic placement at the juncture of Africa, Asia and Europe fostered trade and significant cultural interchange. Ethiopia at the Crossroads showcases the enormous cultural significance of this often-overlooked African nation through art that tells the story of the region’s history and demonstrates the vibrancy of cross-cultural exchange and the human role in the creation and movement of these art objects.

In the exhibition, more than 225 historic and contemporary works usher visitors through centuries of this cross-cultural connectivity and highlight the role Ethiopian artists played in the creation and exchange of artworks throughout Africa and across the Mediterranean, Red Sea and Indian Ocean. Historical works of Ethiopian art — including devotional painted icons, manuscripts, coins, textiles, metalwork and carved wood crosses of various scales — will appear alongside contemporary works by Merikokeb Berhanu, Julie Mehretu, Helina Metaferia, Aïda Muluneh, and Elias Sime to showcase the often-overlooked cultural significance of Ethiopia.

For the Toledo Museum of Art’s presentation of Ethiopia at the Crossroads, we are excited to premiere House of Yatreda, a multisensory and multi-spatial installation by 2024 Digital Artists in Residence Yatreda: ያጥሬዳ that is activated in the exhibition and related programming.

Ethiopia at the Crossroads is co-organized by the Toledo Museum of Art (TMA), Walters Art Museum, and Peabody Essex Museum and curated for TMA by Sophie Ong, Assistant Director of Strategic Initiatives. The exhibition is made possible by two major grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy Demands Wisdom and a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (MA-253352-OMS-23). 

This exhibition has been made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy Demands Wisdom. TMA’s presentation is made possible with the generous support of Presenting Sponsors Susan & Tom Palmer, Platinum Sponsors The Zenith Foundation and Cynthia & Ron Thompson, and Gold Sponsors TMA Ambassadors, with additional funding from the Ohio Arts Council, which receives support from the State of Ohio and the National Endowment for the Arts. 

Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this exhibition do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, or other funders.