The display housed near the computer lab on the second floor of the building is open to the public.
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By Kellye Coleman ’12
Two art history students have created an exhibit that features pieces of art from the International Collection, one of seven collections in the university’s possession.
With pieces from Asia, Africa, India and the Middle East, the exhibit on display in Belk Library is designed to highlight the phenomena of animal reverence in various cultures worldwide.
Junior Elizabeth Capel and senior Rhiannon Clark have been working for more than a semester to curate and create the display, a process that has involved hunting through an off-campus storage facility and sifting through the collection inventory and records. Ethan Moore, coordinator of the university art collection, served as their mentor.
According to Clark and Capel, one of the goals of the exhibit is to bring attention to various animal-related pieces that have connections not obviously recognized.
“In looking through catalogues and records of the collection, we found that animal reverence was an overarching connection throughout the art objects, and we felt it was important to highlight,” Capel said.
Each glass shelf represents a specific theme, such as immortality and good fortune, and is lined with statues of cows, regal headdresses and objects made from animal bone. The students gathered, organized and labeled the pieces, a process that served as both an academic and practical learning experience.
“Designing and wording museum labels was something I had never done before,” Capel said. “Thinking about both academic and aesthetic elements of the display is something I had to learn.”
The community is invited to view the display housed near the computer lab on the second floor of Belk Library.
“It is my hope that people will think of the collection as an extension of their academic and pedagogical experience and will actively engage it,” Moore said.