The Oglethorpe University Museum of Art’s newest exhibitions highlight the cultural exchange between Eastern and Western cultures.
John Daniel Tilford
“When East Meets West: Three Centuries of Artistic Discourse” features numerous examples of late 17th and early 18th century Japanese porcelain and 18th century Meissen porcelain, as well as Japanese and Impressionist prints from the 18th and 19th century. This exhibition will illustrate the rich cross-cultural influences between Japan and European and American artists from the late 17th to late 19th century.
Works will come from the permanent collections of the OU Museum of Art and Atlanta’s High Museum, and borrowed from Dixon Gallery and Gardens and private collections. John Daniel Tilford, curator of collections at OUMA, will present his lecture of the same name as the exhibition. on October 3.
Dr. Stephen Herschler
Another exhibition will illustrate the life and work of “Alice Ravenel Huger Smith,” a leading catalyst of the Charleston Renaissance, and feature the artist’s watercolors and drawings. Japanese prints from the 19th century that influenced Smith will be featured along with her original works.
In addition to the exhibitions, an Asian Politics class taught by Dr. Stephen Herschler will visit the exhibitions and use the art to examine the “interactions of power, money, technology and culture between Japan and Western cultures.” Herschler will also present a lecture at the museum in November titled, “The Clog-Geta Art Nexus: Power, Wealth, Ease and Awe in 300 Years of Dutch-Japanese Art Commerce.”
Dr. Robert Steen
Three performances in the Skylight Gallery Concert Series will also be presented: “The Music of the Japanese Biwa” on September 30; “Southern Comfort: An Evening of Harp Music” on October 28; and “An East/West Metamorphosis” on November 11. Fall performances were organized by OUMA Director Elizabeth Peterson. Dr. Brent Runnels is the Director of the Skylight Concert Series.
Dr. Robert Steen’s lecture, “A More Distant Journey: Englebert Kaempfer’s Japan,” will conclude the exhibition-related events November 14.
The exhibitions will be on view September 28 – December 9, 2018.
