Didn't notice the cladding, but the new gallery of Africa, the Americas and Asia-Pacific has some wonderful things. There's a collection of South African Ndabele beadwork, and rare Phillipine artifacts - textiles, baskets, headwear and pottery bought at the 1904 world Fair, that haven't been on display before, and African wood carvings, shields and weapons and masks and Nigerian headdresses that are breathtaking. There is a display case with bark paintings by important Australian Aboriginal artist Narritjim; fine Maori hardwood carvings on decorative wall panels and boxes; feathered headdresses from the Amazon; Japanese Ainu robes that remind me of our West Coast Indian art; Andean figural pottery that ties in nicely with the Gardiner's collection across the street; masks and totems from New Guinea; geometric pottery from Mexico and the American south west; Hupa basketry from California ... all of it very strong graphically. A gallery to revisit many times, my favourite in the Crystal so far. And there's an entire Vietnam collection that isn't on display, which the curator said may be rotated through the space in the future.
Some of the labels are obviously temporary, as they rushed to open on time to the public, and there are more labels and graphics to come.