Drop in at the Skate House this Sunday, February 24th from 1pm-3pm to view and to learn about African Art from South Orange resident and collector, Ivan Ainyette. It’s not every day you get to see exquisite samples of African art up close and personal. In honor of Black History Month, Dr. Ainyette will share selections from his personal collection and talk about each piece in the historic Skate House near the duck pond in Meadowland Park, South Orange. (Mead Street and North Ridgewood Road) 

Ivan Ainyette has been a resident of South Orange since 2003. Over the past 25 years he has amassed a small collection of African Art from various sources. Initially, he started attending street fairs, then flea markets and finally auction houses where he would buy objects. Visiting museums, buying books, watching videos, he began to recognize authentic from reproduction works of art. He has collected items, masks and sculptures from various countries- Nigeria, Ghana, Mali, Congo, Ivory Coast, South African, Ethiopia, Gabon and Cameroon. Some he believes are masterpieces that can only be found in museums, private collections, well established auction houses or books. In addition to collecting, he is a neuropsychologist and works in a large hospital in New York City and has a small private practice.

Families are welcome. For more information, contact Sandy Martiny at smartiny@southorange.org.