RARE TREASURES OF FINE TRIBAL ART FROM AROUND THE WORLD
The Justin Bibee Collection at Rochambeau Library
Reprinted from the Patch News Providence
By Staff Writer
December 11, 2023
A curated selection of art from The Justin Bibee Collection is on display at the Rochambeau Library in Providence, captivating the community from December 04 - 31, 2023. Throughout the library is art from around the world. This exclusive exhibition features a limited yet exquisite array of artifacts renowned for their exceptional beauty. Notably, among the showcased treasures is the grand A-Tshol headdress from Guinea, previously highlighted in the Warwick Beacon newspaper during its 2021 debut at the Warwick Library, and a rare, wonderfully painted six-foot-tall Satsuma vase, one of Dr. Bibee’s most recent acquisitions. In a glass case in the middle of the library rests three Moroccan koummya, curved, double-edged daggers used by the Berber and Arabic peoples of Morocco. These daggers are a regional variation of the Arab jambiya dagger.
For art enthusiasts and curious minds alike, a visit to the Rochambeau Library promises an awe-inspiring experience, providing a glimpse into the world of rare and beautiful pieces curated by Dr. Bibee. The Justin Bibee Collection is a collection of fine tribal art, and one of the largest private art collections in Rhode Island. Take a moment to immerse yourself in the cultural tapestry woven by these extraordinary works of art.
https://patch.com/rhode-island/providence/rare-treasures-fine-tribal-art-around-world-nodx
PASSION FOR PEACE & ART
Justin Bibee strives to share ethnographic art for its aesthetic beauty
Reprinted from the Warwick Beacon
By John Howell
May 11, 2022
You can’t help but smile at a smile.
This one is wide, curling up at the corners of the mouth. You know this is a joyous smile. It’s reflected in the shape of the opening for the eyes. This is a mask, yet it is too small to cover a face, even a child’s face. It’s the size of a saucer. What was the artist thinking? What was he or she seeking to tell us? Was it simply to get us to smile; was it like music to carry us to some inner understanding about ourselves?
Justin Bibee believes this mask – and the scores of masks and figurines he has collected from the years he served in the Peace Corps and the United Nations in Tanzania and bought from estates, thrift stores, the internet and has been gifted – have the power to break down barriers, create bonds and open communications… to foster peace. He is bent on expanding and sharing his collection of ethnographic art to raise awareness of other cultures. There are some restrictions, however.
His wife drew the line when Bibee learned of an 11-foot statue for sale in New York. Where would they put it? Renting space wasn’t in the family budget.
Bibee is all about showing his collection.
“When we share culture, we have the potential to change negative attitudes and stereotypes – contributing to a more peaceful world. As well, I simply want to share the art that I find so intellectually and aesthetically captivating with my community,” he writes in an email following a recent interview at the Warwick Public Library.
Bibee, a 2006 graduate of Cranston East who initially pursued a career with the Rhode Island State Police, quickly learned his passions lay elsewhere, blindly emailed libraries throughout the region inquiring whether they would host a sampling of his collection. He made it clear the library would bear no responsibility should a work be damaged or stolen, All he was seeking was an opportunity to share the power of these works. The Warwick Library was the only one to take him up on his offer. The display covers a wall and tables beyond the information desk.
It is extensive. It can’t be missed.
Bibee can’t be overlooked either. He stands a thin six feet five inches tall.
Peace Corps service in Morocco
But first, before talking about the art, some background on Bibee. After attending CCRI, he went on to earn a degree in Justice Studies from Rhode Island College and then moved to Brattleboro, Vermont, in 2013 to attend graduate school at the School for International Training (SIT) where he studied peacebuilding. As part of his master’s degree, he served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Morocco where he taught and founded Humanac, Morocco’s first-ever volunteer-based human rights organization. Morocco is also where he met his wife where she taught Americans Arabic and local culture and customs.
“I remember seeing her smile my very first day in Morocco, but we didn’t speak to each other until six months later when we both had training in Marrakech. There I asked her if she wanted to go for a walk, and we’ve been together ever since. We got married in Morocco in 2015.”
In 2017, he served an internship with the United Nations in Tanzania where he worked with Burundian and Congolese refugees on financial inclusion, establishing savings groups where refugees are able to pool their money to use as small loans amongst themselves, and also connecting refugees to banks in their host country – protecting their money and contribute to the local economy. Bibee spent time in the Nyarugusu, Nduta and Mtendeli refugee camps. Nyarugusu refugee camp is the third largest refugee camp in the world. While working with refugees, he wrote his thesis and graduated from SIT in 2018 with a master’s degree in peacebuilding.
On returning to Brattleboro, he worked with people experiencing homelessness and was elected to a three-year seat as the District 3 Town Meeting Member for Brattleboro. But Bibee was called away early in his term. In 2019, his human rights work took the couple to Hawaii where he worked with people living with HIV/AIDS.
After returning to Vermont in 2020, Bibee continued working with people experiencing homelessness as a statewide director for a homelessness intervention program funded by the CARES Act.
The opportunity to return to Rhode Island came the following year when his wife was offered a job at RISD and he landed at Dorcas International Institute of Rhode Island as a refugee resettlement case manager. He works with Afghan, Syrian and Cambodian refugees. Concurrently he is a PhD student at Durban University of Technology in South Africa.
Power of art
Art and now collecting art speaks to him.
“I just love art,” he said with a sweep encompassing the library display that includes a giant porcelain blue and white vase from Japan that is juxtaposed between multiple carvings mostly of men and women. Some are rough cut; others are delicately carved including their clothing and head dresses. At the end of a table are what appear to be two ebony sticks about four feet high and smaller than a broomstick. Canes? Bibee urges a closer look. One is a male figure, the other female.
“Fertility,” suggests Bibee. He said many of the pieces are centered on fertility used in ceremonial rituals. Others have ancestral significance or are tied to times of the year – the harvest, for example – and to celebrate spiritual and culturally important dates.
“I’ve spent most of my early human rights career living in other countries conducting fieldwork. I’ve lived and worked in some remote places. While on human rights missions, I’ve always kept my eye out in search of local art. I have spent most of my career in different countries in Africa, so I’ve naturally been drawn to African art. I think it was more intuition than intellect. I think this because I am instantly captivated by ethnographic art for its aesthetic beauty. That will always be the first thing that captures my attention. Learning about the rich culture behind each piece is a privilege -- and that is the intellectual captivation,” Bibee said.
Bibee understood he was fascinated by art and how it could cross political divisions, language barriers and transcend cultural biases, but it wasn’t until the pandemic that he looked at his collection in a new light. It was more than a hobby, although he thinks of his collecting in those terms, it was also an entity that could be greater than a sum of its parts. It was a collection that when taken in its whole provoked insights and emotions. To use the analogy, it was a symphony with all pieces playing a part. He thought of composing that symphony and bringing it to the public. What’s more, he sees the display as a means of sharing culture and building peace.
There are also stories to each of the works. In some cases there’s scant information to the works other than how Bibee acquired them and where. He is looking to document the works and if possible their provenance. Bibee is hopeful of lining up additional displays, saying he’s willing to risk even losing pieces so as to share them.
“This is my addiction,” he confesses. “I have a problem; I love art.”
The library exhibit is on display until May 31.
https://warwickonline.com/stories/passion-for-peace-art,173569
JUSTIN BIBEE ETHNOGRAPHIC ART COLLECTION MASK MAKING
Reprinted from WPRI Channel 12 News
By Staff Writer
April 20, 2022
Stop by the Warwick Public Library to see an amazing collection of Asian, African, and Oceanic art curated by Justin Bibee. Justin seeks to inspire curiosity about the world's cultures by collecting, conserving, and exhibiting works of ethnographic art. After viewing the art, families with children ages 5 and up can create their own paper African mask in the Large Meeting Room.
https://www.wpri.com/community-events-calendar/?_escaped_fragment_=/show/?ser=Clarke#!/details/Justin-Bibee-Ethnographic-Art-Collection-Mask-Making/10215877/2022-04-20T14
Reprinted from WPRI Channel 12 News
By Staff Writer
April 20, 2022
Stop by the Warwick Public Library to see an amazing collection of Asian, African, and Oceanic art curated by Justin Bibee. Justin seeks to inspire curiosity about the world's cultures by collecting, conserving, and exhibiting works of ethnographic art. After viewing the art, families with children ages 5 and up can create their own paper African mask in the Large Meeting Room.
https://www.wpri.com/community-events-calendar/?_escaped_fragment_=/show/?ser=Clarke#!/details/Justin-Bibee-Ethnographic-Art-Collection-Mask-Making/10215877/2022-04-20T14
ALUMNUS SHARES A WORLD OF ART WITH LOCAL COMMUNITIES
Justin Bibee '12 has collected art all over the world. Now he's sharing it with libraries and museums as a community resource.
Reprinted from the Rhode Island College News - Alumni Success
By Katarina Dulude
February 17, 2022
Thanks to his background in human rights scholarship, Justin Bibee ’12 has seen much of the world. Perhaps inevitably, he has also seen a lot of art.
Bibee served in the Peace Corps, interned with the United Nations in Tanzania, and is currently pursuing a PhD in peacebuilding and conflict transformation at the International Centre of Nonviolence at Durban University of Technology in South Africa.
“While working in the field on human rights missions, I’ve always kept my eye out in search of local art. I have spent most of my career in different countries in Africa, so I’ve naturally been drawn to African art,” says Bibee.
His latest project is the Justin Bibee Collection. This program was established in 2020 during the pandemic and seeks to loan pieces of ethnographic art acquired by Bibee to libraries, schools, and museums for no cost.
“The mission of the Justin Bibee Collection is to inspire curiosity about the world’s cultures by collecting, conserving, and exhibiting works of ethnographic art,” says Bibee. “When we share culture, we have the potential to change negative attitudes and stereotypes, thus contributing to a more peaceful world. As well, I simply want to share the art that I find so intellectually and aesthetically captivating with my community.”
Bibee has found himself living in a wide variety of places. “As a human rights advocate, I often travel to remote places for months and even years at a time. This is definitely an advantage in collecting art.”
His collection features Asian, African, and Oceanic art, including carved statues and masks, jewelry, ceramics, textiles, beadworks, bronzes, and weapons from countless countries.
“There are many ways I go about obtaining pieces,” Bibee explains about his acquisition process. “I have an art dealer that has a beautiful African art collection that I like to purchase pieces from. I also search online for auctions and sales,; as well as thrift stores, antique shops, and yard sales. But more than anything, I acquire pieces when I travel. That is my preferred way to obtain works of art. However, like most other things, I’ve needed to adapt during the pandemic and look online for pieces.”
According to Bibee, there is a direct relationship between peacebuilding and the arts. He notes, “As a student or practitioner of peacebuilding, we study and understand the important role of creativity, culture, art, and storytelling. If you study art from a specific culture, you can learn about their history, including violent conflicts and human rights violations. Arts can and have been used in understanding conflict, transforming conflict, documenting human rights violations, and preserving cultural heritage.”
For Rhode Islanders interested in seeing some of these pieces of art in person, the Warwick Public Library will exhibit pieces from Bibee’s collection from April 18-30. “I am working closely with the deputy director of the library to plan it,” shares Bibee. “I hope a lot of people get to enjoy the pieces and enjoy learning a little bit about the cultures they came from.
https://www.ric.edu/news-events/news/alumnus-shares-world-art-local-communities fbclid=IwAR0NCgA_dSlItPQP5P2yJz1UVPvYXoqdgbAu7Rtlr3Dfj6LhAUI_AC3O1_8
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CELEBRATING THE WORLD'S CULTURES
Collector aims to share art, promote global understanding
Reprinted from the Hill Country Observer
By Stacy Morris
October 2021
Justin Bibee knew from an early age that the exploration of cultures beyond his own was something that intrigued him. He got his first taste of it growing up in a multicultural neighborhood in Cranston, R.I. “My best childhood friend was from Vietnam, and every time I entered his house I was introduced to new foods, music, language, art and colors,” he recalled. “It was my first cross-cultural experience. I was lucky to grow up that way.”
Bibee took his interest a step further in high school when he began collecting ethnographic art. Since then, through world travels including a two-year stint in the Peace Corps, Bibee has amassed a collection of more than 200 pieces: statues, textiles, jewelry and ceramics from across the globe.
“I love this type of art,” he said. “It has amazing stories from the cultures behind it. It’s often described as tribal or aboriginal, and most of it is made of wood, though there are ceramics, jewelry and textiles.” The collection, he said, is an outgrowth of his love of global travel and his work with people of other cultures. And when he has the opportunity, he continues to buy more pieces from local artists he encounters in his travels.
Over time Bibee began to see his collection of art as more than a hobby. He knew it could serve as a bridge of sorts between the United States and obscure parts of the world where most Americans might know little about the local people and customs.
So last year, he set up the Justin Bibee Collection loan program. The project, intended to support education and cultural awareness, loans pieces of art from his collection for display at libraries, museums and schools. The loans are free of charge for several months or up to a year, and Bibee will deliver and later pick up the artwork at no cost to borrowers.
As the Covid-19 pandemic struck early last year, the loan program abruptly stalled before it really began, though Bibee created an online gallery where the pieces in his collection can be viewed.
This fall, though, works from Bibee’s collection will be given their first in-person exhibition at the Warwick Public Library in Rhode Island. The show presents a sampling of African art, including an A-Tshol headdress, a Baule Goli mask, a bronze Ife head and a beaded Bamum mask.
A focus on human rights
After graduating high school in 2006, Bibee earned a bachelor’s degree in justice studies from Rhode Island College. In the course of his education, he decided to pursue human rights work as a career.
In 2013, he was accepted into the graduate program at the School for International Training in Brattleboro on a community service scholarship. In his second year there, he was awarded a United Nations internship to work in refugee camps in Tanzania. “I was the youngest member on the U.N. team and traveled to refugee camps to interview Burundian and Congolese refugees to better understand their livelihoods and financial needs,” he recalled. Bibee’s experience in the refugee camps made a lasting impression. He based his master’s thesis on his time at the camps and also wrote two books about his time with the refugees: “To the Camps and Back” (2019) and “The Narrow Dirt Road: An Eyewitness Account of Refugee Life in Tanzania” (2021).
Bibee said it’s a little-known fact outside the culture of refugee camps that many of the residents remain for decades -- and that the camps function as small cities, complete with restaurants and other small businesses. “Many residents are well off financially but have no support in fiscal management,” he explained. “I helped implement ways to protect the refugees’ money by getting them connected to banks.”
Before completing his master’s degree at SIT in 2018, Bibee spent two years, in 2014-16, on a Peace Corps mission in Morocco, where he volunteered as a teacher. “I was instantly drawn to the Peace Corps when I learned about the work they do and how volunteers live in the community with the people, eating the same food, speaking the same language, and doing the same work,” he said. “It made me realize that our only differences are in our similarities.”
His Peace Corps mission inspired Bibee to write “Human Rights in the Classroom – A Guide for Educators,” which he said was the first human rights training manual to be accepted into the Peace Corps library and made available to Peace Corps staff and volunteers.
In 2015, Bibee also founded Humanac, a Moroccan volunteer-based human rights organization whose mission is to create better living standards for one’s community through various development projects. “Through Humanac we were able to raise awareness about human rights with every community development project we implemented,” Bibee said. Based on his work with Humanac, he has pushed to reform the 1961 law that established the Peace Corps as a permanent international service program. “I wanted to adopt a strong human rights provision by establishing a human rights committee in every operating Peace Corps country,” Bibee said. “I hoped that Humanac would serve as an example of what a human rights committee would look like.”
He’s currently studying for a doctoral degree, with a focus on peace building and conflict transformation, from the International Centre of Nonviolence at Durban University of Technology in South Africa. “I’m the only American in the Ph.D. peace-building program,” he said. “My research is focused on using peace education as a peace-building tool in the Western Sahara region, known as Africa’s longest conflict.” Bibee continues to work with refugees as part of his doctoral studies, this time with Sahrawi refugees in Algeria.
He also works at Pathways Vermont in Bennington, which focuses on human rights -- in particular, mitigating homelessness in Vermont.“I lead a statewide homelessness intervention program called Rapid Rehousing,” Bibee said. “We work in finding short-term and permanent intervention and helped 340 families in the past year.”
Art and a global perspective
Bibee’s ultimate dream is to work at the United Nations.
“It’s hard for me to identify the exact moment I became interested in human rights,” he said. “I learned about the United Nations as a young student, and I knew that is where I wanted to work.”
Bibee has been designated as a human rights champion by the United Nations Association of the United States of America, or UNA-USA, which he serves as a member-at-large. He is a United Nations volunteer, which means he stands ready for deployment on human rights missions.
“As a Ph.D. student, I’m on the Academic Council at the United Nations System, where scholars come together to better understand and address the most pressing global issues of our time,” he said.
With the first in-person exhibition from his collection, Bibee said he is eagerly anticipating more collaborations with schools, museums and libraries throughout New England and beyond. “The loan program is a way for me to contribute to a more peaceful world -- to raise awareness about other cultures,” he said. “When we share cultures, we have the potential to change negative stereotypes and attitudes.”
Ellen O’Brien, deputy director of the Warwick Public Library, said displaying works from the Bibee Collection will provide a great opportunity for patrons to learn about other parts of the world. “We were struck by the beauty of the collection and the cultural aspect of it,” she said.
Bibee said he finds the art objects he has collected in other cultures are both intellectually and aesthetically pleasing. “I’m just so captivated by it that I want to share it,” he said.
https://www.hillcountryobserver.com/2021news/oct2021j.bibee.htm
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THE PRESERVATION AND EDUCATION OF ART
Justin Bibee on building and sharing art collections
Reprinted from the Motif Magazine
May 05, 2020
Justin D. Bibee is currently a PhD student at Durban University of Technology in peacebuilding and is a human rights advocate. A Cranston native, Bibee was nominated for the Peace Corps book award. Bibee spent time in the Peace Corps as a volunteer in Morocco for two years and has since explored many different regions. During these travels, Bibee has collected and catalogued art in hopes of preserving and sharing it with the general public. The collection can be seen online or in person on display in Vermont. Here is what Bibee had to say:
Motif Magazine: Can you talk about what you are currently doing in the art world and how you got started in that?
Justin Bibee: I would have to say that my interest in art started with my interest in human rights. Studying human rights in college I was introduced to new cultures and that sparked my curiosity. That curious exploration of cultures has never faded for me. I’ve been very fortunate — however incommodious it may be at times — to work in a field that allows me to travel. As a human rights advocate, I often travel to remote places for months and even years at a time. This is definitely an advantage in collecting art. From the moment I left the United States I have been captivated by the places I’ve visited and the people I’ve met. My favorite aspect of collecting ethnographic art is exploring and discovering the culture behind it.
MM: What has been the public reception to what you are doing?
JB: Earlier this year I began reaching out to local libraries and schools to see if they might be interested in displaying some art pieces from my collection for educational purposes. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all exhibitions will be postponed. But I have created an online gallery where all the pieces from my collection can be viewed.
MM: Where are some of the places you traveled to acquire some of this art?
JB: Most recently I traveled to Tanzania where I was conducting research for the United Nations. I worked with Burundian and Congolese refugees in Tanzania’s refugee camps. The refugees made beautiful art and sold it within the camps. I acquired pottery, jewelry and fabric to support them, and these pieces are now part of my collection. In March I was to travel to Durban, South Africa to conduct more research and I was looking forward to discovering some art along the way. However, that trip was postponed due to the pandemic. Right now, I’ve been keeping my eye on some online auctions. Just this past week I acquired an Igala Idoma standing female figure from Nigeria, and I have my eye on a few other pieces.
MM: What has your success been so far? Who or what has benefited most from this project?
JB: I’ve probably benefited the most by finally having my art organized! With my work I’m often forced to store my entire life and move to another country. I had art stored at my parents’ house, in storage, in my basement, in my closet. I’ve gathered all these pieces together for the collection. This has allowed me to appreciate each piece again. Throughout my travels, I’ve left pieces of my heart here and there; looking at the art is very nostalgic for me. Also, the people’s whose art it is and the cultures that these pieces come from are able to be introduced to the public, which is great and the purpose of the collection.
MM: Where do you see your project in a year? How about five years? How do you hope it will help shape the art world?
JB: The Justin Bibee Collection is a very modest project. To begin, I hope to display some of the art I’ve collected in local libraries and schools for cultural awareness and educational purposes. In the future, I would love to host exhibitions and galleries to share the art. I hope the pieces in my collection will spark curiosity about the world’s cultures and contribute to cultural awareness and understanding.
MM: Anything else you would like to share with our readers?
JB: I just want to say that I hope everyone is doing well and staying safe during these unusual times.
https://motifri.com/the-preservation-and-education-of-art-justin-bibee-on-building-and-sharing-art-collections/
Justin Bibee '12 has collected art all over the world. Now he's sharing it with libraries and museums as a community resource.
Reprinted from the Rhode Island College News - Alumni Success
By Katarina Dulude
February 17, 2022
Thanks to his background in human rights scholarship, Justin Bibee ’12 has seen much of the world. Perhaps inevitably, he has also seen a lot of art.
Bibee served in the Peace Corps, interned with the United Nations in Tanzania, and is currently pursuing a PhD in peacebuilding and conflict transformation at the International Centre of Nonviolence at Durban University of Technology in South Africa.
“While working in the field on human rights missions, I’ve always kept my eye out in search of local art. I have spent most of my career in different countries in Africa, so I’ve naturally been drawn to African art,” says Bibee.
His latest project is the Justin Bibee Collection. This program was established in 2020 during the pandemic and seeks to loan pieces of ethnographic art acquired by Bibee to libraries, schools, and museums for no cost.
“The mission of the Justin Bibee Collection is to inspire curiosity about the world’s cultures by collecting, conserving, and exhibiting works of ethnographic art,” says Bibee. “When we share culture, we have the potential to change negative attitudes and stereotypes, thus contributing to a more peaceful world. As well, I simply want to share the art that I find so intellectually and aesthetically captivating with my community.”
Bibee has found himself living in a wide variety of places. “As a human rights advocate, I often travel to remote places for months and even years at a time. This is definitely an advantage in collecting art.”
His collection features Asian, African, and Oceanic art, including carved statues and masks, jewelry, ceramics, textiles, beadworks, bronzes, and weapons from countless countries.
“There are many ways I go about obtaining pieces,” Bibee explains about his acquisition process. “I have an art dealer that has a beautiful African art collection that I like to purchase pieces from. I also search online for auctions and sales,; as well as thrift stores, antique shops, and yard sales. But more than anything, I acquire pieces when I travel. That is my preferred way to obtain works of art. However, like most other things, I’ve needed to adapt during the pandemic and look online for pieces.”
According to Bibee, there is a direct relationship between peacebuilding and the arts. He notes, “As a student or practitioner of peacebuilding, we study and understand the important role of creativity, culture, art, and storytelling. If you study art from a specific culture, you can learn about their history, including violent conflicts and human rights violations. Arts can and have been used in understanding conflict, transforming conflict, documenting human rights violations, and preserving cultural heritage.”
For Rhode Islanders interested in seeing some of these pieces of art in person, the Warwick Public Library will exhibit pieces from Bibee’s collection from April 18-30. “I am working closely with the deputy director of the library to plan it,” shares Bibee. “I hope a lot of people get to enjoy the pieces and enjoy learning a little bit about the cultures they came from.
https://www.ric.edu/news-events/news/alumnus-shares-world-art-local-communities fbclid=IwAR0NCgA_dSlItPQP5P2yJz1UVPvYXoqdgbAu7Rtlr3Dfj6LhAUI_AC3O1_8
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
CELEBRATING THE WORLD'S CULTURES
Collector aims to share art, promote global understanding
Reprinted from the Hill Country Observer
By Stacy Morris
October 2021
Justin Bibee knew from an early age that the exploration of cultures beyond his own was something that intrigued him. He got his first taste of it growing up in a multicultural neighborhood in Cranston, R.I. “My best childhood friend was from Vietnam, and every time I entered his house I was introduced to new foods, music, language, art and colors,” he recalled. “It was my first cross-cultural experience. I was lucky to grow up that way.”
Bibee took his interest a step further in high school when he began collecting ethnographic art. Since then, through world travels including a two-year stint in the Peace Corps, Bibee has amassed a collection of more than 200 pieces: statues, textiles, jewelry and ceramics from across the globe.
“I love this type of art,” he said. “It has amazing stories from the cultures behind it. It’s often described as tribal or aboriginal, and most of it is made of wood, though there are ceramics, jewelry and textiles.” The collection, he said, is an outgrowth of his love of global travel and his work with people of other cultures. And when he has the opportunity, he continues to buy more pieces from local artists he encounters in his travels.
Over time Bibee began to see his collection of art as more than a hobby. He knew it could serve as a bridge of sorts between the United States and obscure parts of the world where most Americans might know little about the local people and customs.
So last year, he set up the Justin Bibee Collection loan program. The project, intended to support education and cultural awareness, loans pieces of art from his collection for display at libraries, museums and schools. The loans are free of charge for several months or up to a year, and Bibee will deliver and later pick up the artwork at no cost to borrowers.
As the Covid-19 pandemic struck early last year, the loan program abruptly stalled before it really began, though Bibee created an online gallery where the pieces in his collection can be viewed.
This fall, though, works from Bibee’s collection will be given their first in-person exhibition at the Warwick Public Library in Rhode Island. The show presents a sampling of African art, including an A-Tshol headdress, a Baule Goli mask, a bronze Ife head and a beaded Bamum mask.
A focus on human rights
After graduating high school in 2006, Bibee earned a bachelor’s degree in justice studies from Rhode Island College. In the course of his education, he decided to pursue human rights work as a career.
In 2013, he was accepted into the graduate program at the School for International Training in Brattleboro on a community service scholarship. In his second year there, he was awarded a United Nations internship to work in refugee camps in Tanzania. “I was the youngest member on the U.N. team and traveled to refugee camps to interview Burundian and Congolese refugees to better understand their livelihoods and financial needs,” he recalled. Bibee’s experience in the refugee camps made a lasting impression. He based his master’s thesis on his time at the camps and also wrote two books about his time with the refugees: “To the Camps and Back” (2019) and “The Narrow Dirt Road: An Eyewitness Account of Refugee Life in Tanzania” (2021).
Bibee said it’s a little-known fact outside the culture of refugee camps that many of the residents remain for decades -- and that the camps function as small cities, complete with restaurants and other small businesses. “Many residents are well off financially but have no support in fiscal management,” he explained. “I helped implement ways to protect the refugees’ money by getting them connected to banks.”
Before completing his master’s degree at SIT in 2018, Bibee spent two years, in 2014-16, on a Peace Corps mission in Morocco, where he volunteered as a teacher. “I was instantly drawn to the Peace Corps when I learned about the work they do and how volunteers live in the community with the people, eating the same food, speaking the same language, and doing the same work,” he said. “It made me realize that our only differences are in our similarities.”
His Peace Corps mission inspired Bibee to write “Human Rights in the Classroom – A Guide for Educators,” which he said was the first human rights training manual to be accepted into the Peace Corps library and made available to Peace Corps staff and volunteers.
In 2015, Bibee also founded Humanac, a Moroccan volunteer-based human rights organization whose mission is to create better living standards for one’s community through various development projects. “Through Humanac we were able to raise awareness about human rights with every community development project we implemented,” Bibee said. Based on his work with Humanac, he has pushed to reform the 1961 law that established the Peace Corps as a permanent international service program. “I wanted to adopt a strong human rights provision by establishing a human rights committee in every operating Peace Corps country,” Bibee said. “I hoped that Humanac would serve as an example of what a human rights committee would look like.”
He’s currently studying for a doctoral degree, with a focus on peace building and conflict transformation, from the International Centre of Nonviolence at Durban University of Technology in South Africa. “I’m the only American in the Ph.D. peace-building program,” he said. “My research is focused on using peace education as a peace-building tool in the Western Sahara region, known as Africa’s longest conflict.” Bibee continues to work with refugees as part of his doctoral studies, this time with Sahrawi refugees in Algeria.
He also works at Pathways Vermont in Bennington, which focuses on human rights -- in particular, mitigating homelessness in Vermont.“I lead a statewide homelessness intervention program called Rapid Rehousing,” Bibee said. “We work in finding short-term and permanent intervention and helped 340 families in the past year.”
Art and a global perspective
Bibee’s ultimate dream is to work at the United Nations.
“It’s hard for me to identify the exact moment I became interested in human rights,” he said. “I learned about the United Nations as a young student, and I knew that is where I wanted to work.”
Bibee has been designated as a human rights champion by the United Nations Association of the United States of America, or UNA-USA, which he serves as a member-at-large. He is a United Nations volunteer, which means he stands ready for deployment on human rights missions.
“As a Ph.D. student, I’m on the Academic Council at the United Nations System, where scholars come together to better understand and address the most pressing global issues of our time,” he said.
With the first in-person exhibition from his collection, Bibee said he is eagerly anticipating more collaborations with schools, museums and libraries throughout New England and beyond. “The loan program is a way for me to contribute to a more peaceful world -- to raise awareness about other cultures,” he said. “When we share cultures, we have the potential to change negative stereotypes and attitudes.”
Ellen O’Brien, deputy director of the Warwick Public Library, said displaying works from the Bibee Collection will provide a great opportunity for patrons to learn about other parts of the world. “We were struck by the beauty of the collection and the cultural aspect of it,” she said.
Bibee said he finds the art objects he has collected in other cultures are both intellectually and aesthetically pleasing. “I’m just so captivated by it that I want to share it,” he said.
https://www.hillcountryobserver.com/2021news/oct2021j.bibee.htm
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THE PRESERVATION AND EDUCATION OF ART
Justin Bibee on building and sharing art collections
Reprinted from the Motif Magazine
May 05, 2020
Justin D. Bibee is currently a PhD student at Durban University of Technology in peacebuilding and is a human rights advocate. A Cranston native, Bibee was nominated for the Peace Corps book award. Bibee spent time in the Peace Corps as a volunteer in Morocco for two years and has since explored many different regions. During these travels, Bibee has collected and catalogued art in hopes of preserving and sharing it with the general public. The collection can be seen online or in person on display in Vermont. Here is what Bibee had to say:
Motif Magazine: Can you talk about what you are currently doing in the art world and how you got started in that?
Justin Bibee: I would have to say that my interest in art started with my interest in human rights. Studying human rights in college I was introduced to new cultures and that sparked my curiosity. That curious exploration of cultures has never faded for me. I’ve been very fortunate — however incommodious it may be at times — to work in a field that allows me to travel. As a human rights advocate, I often travel to remote places for months and even years at a time. This is definitely an advantage in collecting art. From the moment I left the United States I have been captivated by the places I’ve visited and the people I’ve met. My favorite aspect of collecting ethnographic art is exploring and discovering the culture behind it.
MM: What has been the public reception to what you are doing?
JB: Earlier this year I began reaching out to local libraries and schools to see if they might be interested in displaying some art pieces from my collection for educational purposes. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all exhibitions will be postponed. But I have created an online gallery where all the pieces from my collection can be viewed.
MM: Where are some of the places you traveled to acquire some of this art?
JB: Most recently I traveled to Tanzania where I was conducting research for the United Nations. I worked with Burundian and Congolese refugees in Tanzania’s refugee camps. The refugees made beautiful art and sold it within the camps. I acquired pottery, jewelry and fabric to support them, and these pieces are now part of my collection. In March I was to travel to Durban, South Africa to conduct more research and I was looking forward to discovering some art along the way. However, that trip was postponed due to the pandemic. Right now, I’ve been keeping my eye on some online auctions. Just this past week I acquired an Igala Idoma standing female figure from Nigeria, and I have my eye on a few other pieces.
MM: What has your success been so far? Who or what has benefited most from this project?
JB: I’ve probably benefited the most by finally having my art organized! With my work I’m often forced to store my entire life and move to another country. I had art stored at my parents’ house, in storage, in my basement, in my closet. I’ve gathered all these pieces together for the collection. This has allowed me to appreciate each piece again. Throughout my travels, I’ve left pieces of my heart here and there; looking at the art is very nostalgic for me. Also, the people’s whose art it is and the cultures that these pieces come from are able to be introduced to the public, which is great and the purpose of the collection.
MM: Where do you see your project in a year? How about five years? How do you hope it will help shape the art world?
JB: The Justin Bibee Collection is a very modest project. To begin, I hope to display some of the art I’ve collected in local libraries and schools for cultural awareness and educational purposes. In the future, I would love to host exhibitions and galleries to share the art. I hope the pieces in my collection will spark curiosity about the world’s cultures and contribute to cultural awareness and understanding.
MM: Anything else you would like to share with our readers?
JB: I just want to say that I hope everyone is doing well and staying safe during these unusual times.
https://motifri.com/the-preservation-and-education-of-art-justin-bibee-on-building-and-sharing-art-collections/