Erica Jones and Carlee Forbes reflect on ideas of artistic belonging through the case of a carved gourd on display at the Fowler Museum. They consider how the artist (Audu Mai Alijeta) worked within and beyond traditional stylistic expectations, creating narrative carvings shaped by both innovation and the colonial context of the British Empire Exhibition, where the objects were made and sold. They also trace the object’s later life through collections and exhibitions, including its presence in the Fowler Museum, emphasizing how its meaning shifts across different historical and institutional settings.