Ancient African hair picks, hairstyles and headrests are the focus of an art display showcasing now through early October at the Georgia Perimeter College Fine Arts Gallery. GPC anthropology instructor Robert Belcher is curator of “6,000 Years of Culture, 600 Years of Chaos,” which features artifacts from his personal collection.

“A comb is a tool used to make you appear more orderly in your culture,” Belcher says. “And the comb was extremely important in the lives of Egyptians, for example, in terms of their interactions with one another and their emphasis on adornment.”

Belcher goes on to explain that afro picks and ornate hairstyles factored prominently into the identity of Africans from the time they were building pyramids. Chaos ensued, he says, with the mass enslavement of Africans—mostly from West Africa—and their disconnection from hair implements and styles.

Belcher will take a deeper cultural and historical look at the subject during an exhibition reception on Thursday, Sept. 17, from 6-8 p.m. The event will take place in the Fine Arts Gallery located on the Georgia Perimeter’s Clarkston Campus, 555 Indian Creek Drive. The public is invited and will have the opportunity to ask questions.