Current

Object Lessons: Selections from the Permanent Collection

Ornament, c 18th century (Chinese), brass and gold plate (detail), 1 1/4 h x 3 w (inches), The College of Wooster Art Museum 1964.252, Gift of Mrs. C.E. Loehr

April 4 – May 13, 2013

OBJECT LESSONS

Burton D. Morgan Gallery

Opening Reception

Thursday, April 4, 2013
6:30-8:00 p.m.
Gallery Talks at 7:00 p.m. by Blair Heidkamp ’15, Eric Hubbard ’16, Phu Nguyen Thien ’14, Seung Ryong Riew ’14, and Kelsey Williams ’14

Images of OBJECT LESSONS installation and Opening Reception

What is the meaning behind the number of talons on a Chinese dragon? What do patterns in African art express about leadership? How do the functions of ancient objects inform our understanding of the cultures that made them? These and other questions are explored in the exhibition OBJECT LESSONS, the title of which refers to how the close reading of material culture is fundamental to curatorial practices.

Curated by the 2013 Museum Studies class taught by Jay Gates, Class of 1968, each student selected materials in the CWAM’s permanent collection representing five CWAM collection concentrations—African, Ancient, Asian, “Curiosities,” and Prints. For this teaching exhibition, students were asked to first describe their objects, then to synthesize the visual evidence with contextual research.

The term “Curiosities” is used here as a reference to the late-nineteenth century practice of bringing back materials from abroad to create “Cabinets of Curiosities,” some of which became so extensive they formed the basis of major museum collections. The term “Cabinets of Curiosities” and its practice can be traced to sixteenth-century Europe where objects, yet to be classified, would be stored in rooms where visitors could marvel at what was to them “exotic.” Notable collections begun in this manner include the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, UK, and the British Museum, London. In a similar vein, from the late-nineteenth century up through the mid-twentieth century, a significant group of art and ethnographic materials from China, Korea, and other areas of the world were given to the College by Presbyterian missionaries and alumni. These materials comprise the origin of the CWAM’s collection and are featured in the “Curiosities” portion of this exhibition.

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank the students in the Museum Studies course for their enthusiasm, attention to detail, and energy. Congratulations on a job well done. Additionally, the CWAM thanks Jay Gates for being such a willing collaborator, and Professor of Archaeology, Nick P. Kardulias, for supporting the students researching the Department of Archaeology’s Pella materials. Doug McGlumphy, CWAM Preparator, deserves a special note of recognition for not only his exhibition design, but for also sharing his expertise in both teaching and museum practices.

Kitty McManus Zurko, Director/Curator
The College of Wooster Art Museum