Kypriaka Chronika: Tales of Ancient Cypriote Ceramics in West Coast Collections
February 9 – April 28, 2019
Study Gallery
Organized by professor and faculty curator Ann M. Nicgorski, the exhibition features 26 ceramic vessels and figurines that date from the Early Bronze Age to Early Iron Age (ca. 2500 to 475 BCE) and have many tales to tell. As carefully crafted artifacts of daily life in Cyprus, an ancient crossroads of civilizations, they tell of local traditions and aesthetics in dialogue with cultural imports from the East and West.
Equally fascinating, however, are the stories of their travels to museums in Washington, Oregon, and California, which were facilitated by many colorful characters including Luigi Palma di Cesnola, the first director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art; Jane and Leland Stanford, founders of Stanford University; railroad tycoon Samuel Hill; San Francisco philanthropists Phoebe Apperson Hearst and Alma de Bretteville Spreckels; Queen Marie of Romania and her eldest daughter, Elisabeth, Queen Consort of the Hellenes; and Harvey Seeley Mudd.
The pieces in this exhibition are drawn from museums in Washington, Oregon, and California, which are remarkably rich in artifacts from ancient Cyprus. In addition to the Hallie Ford Museum of Art, these institutions include the Maryhill Museum of Art in Goldendale, Washington; the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture at the University of Washington in Seattle; the Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology at the University of California, Berkeley; the Legion of Honor, Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco; the Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University in Palo Alto; the Los Angeles County Museum of Art; and the J. Paul Getty Museum in Malibu.
Related Events
Members/VIP Opening Reception
Saturday, February 9, 2019, 6 - 8 p.m.
Hallie Ford Museum of Art
Members and museum invited guests only
Museum members and museum VIP invited guests: complimentary
New Members: are welcome to join at the event or online
RSVP ONLINE BY FEBRUARY 4, 2019
Or by phone at 503-370-6855 or by email at museum-art@willamette.edu
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LECTURE
Kypriaka Chronika: Tales of Ancient Cypriote Ceramics in West Coast Collections
Ann M. Nicgorski
Tuesday, February 12, 2019 at 7:30 p.m.
Paulus Lecture Hall, Willamette University College of Law
Free and open to the public
Exhibition Brochure
The exhibition will be accompanied by a full-color brochure that will be available in the museum store for $1.
Student Co-curators
Prof. Ann M. Nicgorski extends special thanks to her student co-curators:
- Devne’t DeGrandmont, Art History Major, Classical Studies Minor, Willamette University Class of 2018
- Sarah Diamond, Art History Major, Willamette University Class of 2021
- Holly Piper, Archaeology and Classical Studies Majors, Art History Minor, Willamette University Class of 2021
- George Z. Wing, Art History Major, Willamette University Class of 2019
Financial Support
This exhibition has been supported by an endowment gift from the Hallie Ford Exhibition Fund of the Hallie Ford Museum of Art; by an endowment gift from the Verda Karen McCracken Young Fund of the Department of Art History; and by general operating support grants from the City of Salem's Transient Occupancy Tax funds and the Oregon Arts Commission.
