The Stanley P. Bohrer Collection

The Museum of Anthropology is honored to be the repository for the collection of Dr. Stanley P. Bohrer, professor emeritus of radiology at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine.  Dr. Bohrer has donated 265 artifacts to the MOA over the past 32 years.  At the end of 2018, he gave an additional 77 pieces to the Museum on loan, awaiting donation in the coming years.

Dr. Bohrer plays the African board game of Ayo (Mancala) in his home with two Nigerian friends.

The artifacts donated by Dr. Bohrer are primarily from West Africa, reflecting the time he spent there.  Dr. Bohrer lived in Nigeria from 1964 to 1977, teaching and serving as the chair of radiology at the University of Ibadan Medical School.  During his time in Africa, he also taught in Ghana, Kenya, and Tanzania.  Dr. Bohrer became interested in Nigerian, primarily Yoruba, art collecting a large number of pieces made by traditional artisans.  His collection includes wood carvings, drums, textiles, pottery, beads, jewelry, iron and brass works, as well as other art forms.

Dr. Bohrer also worked with the global health and humanitarian relief organization Project HOPE in Colombia, Guatemala, Jamaica, and the island of Grenada.  Additionally, he taught in Pakistan, India, and Ecuador under the auspices of the Radiological Society of North America while on sabbatical from the WFU Medical School.  His interest in collecting did not fade as he traveled the world, acquiring artifacts as he toured.

In addition to his generous donations of ethnographic artifacts, Dr. Bohrer has also served on the Museum’s Advisory Board for a number of years.  The Museum is immensely grateful for his donation of artifacts and time.