Bird-Warrior Vessel, Mochica, Peru, 100-700 a.d. Courtesy of Mississippi Museum of Art. |
More than 130 artifacts and art works spanning two continents and more than 2,000 years will fill the Upper and Lower West Galleries of The Haggin Museum when the special traveling exhibition Pre-Columbian Art: from the Mississippi Museum of Art goes on display March 18-May 13, 2007.
Pre-Columbian civilizations living across Peru, Mexico and Central America flourished prior to the arrival of Europeans, including Christopher Columbus, in the New World. An array of archaeological cultures developed, several of which are represented in the collection of art and artifacts in the exhibition. These objects are drawn from the Mississippi Museum of Art's permanent collection, supplemented by works from the private collection of Sam Olden of Yazoo City, Miss.
Gods, humans and nature were woven into an intricate tapestry of beliefs and expressions by the societies of Peru and Mesoamerica (Pre-Columbian Mexico and Central America). Religion played a central organizing role in structuring people's lives. Great civilizations developed, such as the Maya in Mesoamerica and the Moche in Peru, where divine kings believed to be descended from gods ruled over vast cities and constructed monuments rivaling those of ancient Greece or Egypt. Pre-Columbian societies were connected through cosmologies in which creation and existence were explained through complex mythologies. Those mythologies told of the creation of humans and nature, and through their ideologies provided ways for humans to properly worship and sustain the universe.
The majority of the artifacts in the exhibition came from elite burials and offerings, which explains why they are so marvelously preserved. These objects were meant to be taken into the afterlife or given as offerings to divine forces. These were the possessions of religious figures, warrior priests and divine kings. Ultimately, they were meant to be carried between the natural and supernatural worlds, bridging the gap between the living and the dead.
Objects in this exhibition are presented in five categories: an introduction to Pre-Columbian cultures; plants and animals; people and structures; gods and the supernatural; and abstraction and form. Through this arrangement of objects—based on subject matter rather than by time period or culture—the viewer sees similarities that emerged across cultures and discerns cultural distinctions.
The exhibition's showing here in Stockton is part of a seven city national tour over a two-and-a-half year period, developed and managed by Smith Kramer Fine Art Services, an exhibition tour development company in Kansas City.
RELATED EVENTS:
- SNEAK PREVIEW!
Thursday, March 15, 6:00-9:00 p.m.
To help celebrate the museum's new 1st & 3rd Thursday evening hours, visitors from 6-9 p.m. on Thursday, March 15 will get a sneak preview of the Pre-Columbian Art exhibition, which won't officially open to the public until Sunday, March 18. This exclusive evening premiere will include light refreshments. For more information call (209) 940-6312 or e-mail info@hagginmuseum.org.
- WIZARDS & DOGS: THE ART OF WEST MEXICO
Evening Lecture by Dr. Hope Werness
Thursday, April 5, 7:30-8:30 p.m.
Dr. Hope Werness from California State University, Stanislaus will give an illustrated lecture titled Wizards & Dogs: The Art of West Mexico on Thursday, April 5, 7:30-8:30 p.m. As both an art historian and a practicing artist, she will examine how the ceramic objects in the special exhibition relate to the cultural beliefs (particularly the funerary practices) of the ancient civilizations of Mesoamerica. For more information contact Museum Educator Lisa Cooperman at (209) 940-6315 or education@hagginmuseum.org.
- ART ADVENTURES: Pre-Columbian Hieroglyphics
Saturday, April 14, 1:30-3:00 p.m.
The Art Adventures workshop for families with children ages 5-12 on Saturday, April 14, 1:30-3 p.m., will focus on Pre-Columbian Hieroglyphic design prints. Led by local artist Adele Fox, children at this workshop will explore some of the Pre-Columbian systems of hieroglyphics, or picture writing, by making prints from textured surfaces. Reservations are strongly advised. Contact Curator of Educator Lisa Cooperman at (209) 940-6315 or education@hagginmuseum.org.
- TRIVIA NIGHT: Legends of the Haggin Temple
Friday, April 20, 7:00-9:00 p.m.
Museum staff members have teamed up with members of the University of the Pacific Historical Society to host an entertaining and educational Trivia Night on Friday, April 20, 7-9 p.m. With inspiration from the mid-'90s Nickelodeon game show Legends of the Hidden Temple, this evening event will challenge teams of players with questions about Pre-Columbian culture, pop culture and more. There will be fun prizes for the winning team.
Admission is $5 per person and free snacks will be provided. Beer, mixed drinks and soda will be available for purchase. For more information, contact Eddie Hargreaves at (209) 940-6312 or webmaster@hagginmuseum.org.
- STYLE REVITALIZED FROM FAR AFIELD
Afternoon Lecture by Maline Werness
Sunday, April 29, 3:00-4:00 p.m.
Maline Werness, Ph.D candidate at the University of Texas, will give an illustrated lecture titled Style Revitalized from Far Afield on Saturday, April 29, 3-4 p.m. She will explore the distinctive styles of ceramic ware from the Yucatan Peninsula and teach those attending more about the special exhibition and The Haggin Museum's permanent collection of ancient artifacts. For more information contact Museum Educator Lisa Cooperman at (209) 940-6315 or education@hagginmuseum.org.
- FAMILY FESTIVAL: Indigenous Cultures Day
Saturday, May 12, 1:30-4:00 p.m.
The whole family is invited Saturday, May 12, 1:30-4 p.m. for a special day of fun, music and activities exploring the indigenous cultures of Mexico and South America. Activities will include clay sculpture, amate paper silhouettes, personal hieroglyphics, metallic animal sculptures and Huichol yarn painting. Visitors will also learn about the geoglyphs from the Nazca plains of Peru and enjoy bilingual music and poetry. For more information contact Curator of Educator Lisa Cooperman at (209) 940-6315 or education@hagginmuseum.org.
MUSEUM INFORMATION
The Haggin Museum is located in Stockton's Victory Park, 1201 N. Pershing Ave., and is open Wednesday-Sunday, 1:30-5:00 p.m. and 1st & 3rd Thursdays, 1:30-9:00 p.m. Admission is $5 for adults 18 and up; $2.50 for youth ages 10-17, students with a valid I.D., and seniors 65 and over; and free for museum members and children under 10 accompanied by an adult. Free Admission Saturdays will be held on November 4 and December 2.
Free docent-led tours may be booked in advance by contacting Curator of Educator Lisa Cooperman at (209) 940-6332 or education@hagginmuseum.org. For disabled access, call ahead at (209) 940-6311 or 940-6317.
The Museum Store is open Wednesday-Sunday, 1:30-4:30 p.m. |
