News
September Calendar of Exhibitions and Programs
September 2, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE SEPTEMBER 3, 2009
September 2009 Calendar of Exhibitions and Programs
Exhibitions
Life Objects: Rites of Passage in African Art
September 12, 2009–January 24, 2010
Life Objects, an exhibition devoted to the traditional arts of Africa, will feature twenty-three works, including masks, figurative sculpture, vintage postcards, and designed objects in a variety of media from the museum’s own collection, the National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, and private lenders. The exhibition highlights the organic connection between the traditional arts of the African peoples and their religious beliefs and ritual practices, and explores the art and rites associated with birth and childhood, initiation and passage to adulthood, marriage, manhood and womanhood, and death and ancestorship in Africa.
The exhibition, organized by Chika Okeke-Agulu, assistant professor of art and archaeology and African American Studies, and Holly W. Ross, with the assistance of art and archaeology graduate student Adedoyin Teriba, is presented in conjunction with the freshman seminar “Art and the Lifecycle in Africa,” which will be offered in fall of 2009 by the Center for the Study of Religion and the Department of Art and Archeology.
Asian Moments: Art, Documents, Photographs
September 12, 2009–January 3, 2010
Photographers have been presenting Asia to the west through their photographs since the mid-nineteenth century, yet during this period paintings, ceramics, woodblock prints, and other forms of art have also served to document Asian moments, places, people, and events. By juxtaposing a variety of documentary images and objects depicting China, Japan, and India, this exhibition questions how one might interpret such works as representations of material and visual culture, or as documents of art.
In association with Asian Moments, the P.Y. and Kinmay W. Tang Center for East Asian Art will host a symposium entitled China Seen by the Chinese: Documentary Photography, 1951−2003 at Princeton University on Saturday, October 24, 2009. The included presentations will consider historical and cross-cultural perspectives, critical and theoretical approaches to the subject, and the problem of defining "documentary" photography.
September Programs and Events
Thursday, September 17
5-10 p.m., Princeton University Art Museum
Late Thursdays
Beginning September 17, the Museum will offer extended evening hours, Late Thursdays, until 10 p.m., affording access to special exhibitions and collections, and special programs including film screenings, musical performances, and drop-in activities. Late Thursdays will launch with a lively open house welcoming Princeton University students to a new academic year and for community members to mingle and discover a wealth of art while enjoying a Nassau Street Sampler featuring food from many of Princeton's eclectic restaurants, live music, and the chance to win great prizes including t-shirts, posters, and gift certificates.
Thursday, September 24
6 p.m.,McCosh 10, Princeton University
Evening Lecture and Opening Reception
Ritual Networks: Art, Gods, Spirits, and the Meaningful Life in Africa
In celebration of the exhibition Life Objects: Rites of Passage in African Art, Chika Okeke-Agulu, assistant professor of Art and Archaeology and African American Studies, Princeton University, and guest curator, will discuss the connection between the traditional arts of the African peoples and their religious beliefs and ritual practices. A reception will follow at 7 p.m. in the Museum.
The opening reception and associated programming have been supported by the Friends and Partners of the Princeton University Art Museum.
For complete program and event listings, please visit the Museum’s online calendar at http://artmuseum.princeton.edu/events_archive/calendar.xml
About the Museum
Founded in 1882, the Princeton University Art Museum is one of the finest art museums in the country. Its collection features approximately 72,000 works ranging from ancient to contemporary art, and concentrating geographically on the Mediterranean regions, Western Europe, China, the United States, and Latin America, with particular strengths in Chinese painting and calligraphy, art of the ancient Americas, and pictorial photography. As a public institution, the Museum is committed to serving the local community, the region, and beyond through innovative and dynamic programming, original research and new scholarship, an active loan program, and the organization of touring exhibitions. By collaborating with experts across many disciplines, fostering sustained study of original works of art, and uniting scholarship with broad accessibility, the Museum contributes to the development of critical thinking and visual literacy at Princeton University and enhances the civic fabric of our nation.
The Princeton University Art Museum is located at the heart of the Princeton University campus, yet only a short walk from the shops and restaurants on Princeton’s Nassau Street. Museum admission is free and open to the public. Hours are Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Thursday, 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., and Sunday, 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. Free highlights tours of the collection are given every Saturday and Sunday at 2:00 p.m. The Museum is closed Mondays and major holidays. For information, please visit the Museum’s Web site at http://artmuseum.princeton.edu or call (609) 258-3788.
For more information and images, please contact:
Christine Liggio, manager of marketing and public relations
(609)258-7615
