The Springfield Museums presents The Body Adorned: Artistry and Legacy of the Ancient Americas, November 23, 2021-February 27, 2022 in the Michele and Donald D’Amour Museum of Fine Arts. The fully bilingual (Spanish and English) exhibition provides a rare and must-see opportunity to view expertly crafted adornments and textiles made by artists working during the pre-Hispanic period in Colombia, Costa Rica, Panama, Peru, and Mexico and to explore the ongoing influence of indigenous artistry.
Feather textiles, gold pendants, and greenstone ear rods were among the most exquisite adornments crafted by artists working in the ancient Americas. Designed to be worn both in life and in death, these treasures functioned as status symbols, ritual paraphernalia, and sacred channels to a more sublime realm. Often small in scale and intricately crafted, the objects were created in sophisticated workshops by highly skilled artists and offer insight into the values, beliefs, and achievements of the indigenous communities in which they were created.
This exhibition features the artistic adornment of the ancient cultures of Colombia, Costa Rica, Panama, Peru, and Mexico, as well as the influence that metalwork, textiles, and ceramics had on future generations of artists. In addition to including work made between 400 and 1550 C.E., the display will include works by 20th century American designer and jewelry maker William Spratling (1900-1967), who spent over three decades in Mexico and was inspired by Mesoamerican art and architecture. The objects present the enduring power of these ancient motifs, and bring together different eras in dialogue.
“Art of the ancient Americas is not represented in the collection of the Springfield Art Museums, so the opportunity to share these stunning adornments from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston is a very special one,” said Maggie North, Curator of Art for the Springfield Museums. “In addition to looking to the past, the exhibit celebrates the enduring influence of pre-Hispanic artists, and invites visitors to consider their legacy.”
The Body Adorned: Artistry and Legacy of the Ancient Americas also includes hands-on, interactive exploration for people of all ages and abilities.
“We are excited to offer an interactive station in the exhibition,” said Larissa Murray, Director of Education for the Springfield Museums. “These activities will allow children, families and all visitors to understand and interpret the magnificent and functional art objects on display through tactile elements and creative self-expression.”
Activities include braiding, twisting, and looping chenille stem jewelry and contributing to a weaving project. Another interactive experience will showcase the materials used to make the objects in the exhibit. Visitors will be able to touch feathers, textiles, silver, and greenstone.
The exhibition’s interpretive framework and programming aim to illuminate the ways in which ancient adornment has influenced, and continues to influence, 20th and 21st century ideas about personal expression through jewelry tattoos, and clothing. Related lectures include:
Lasting Impressions: Tattooing and Body Art in the Ancient Americas
Sunday, December 5, 1 pm
Free with museum admission in the Davis Auditorium, D’Amour Museum of Fine Arts
Not able to join us in person? Watch the lecture on Zoom! Register in advance at SpringfieldMuseums.org/programs. Members free; nonmembers $5.
For thousands of years, ancient American peoples practiced tattooing and other permanent forms of body modification. These cultural expressions signified indigenous identity and status and transformed the human body into a ritual vessel that channeled spiritual power across the planes of the living and the dead. Dr. Lars Krutak explores the enduring legacy of these traditions with special reference to contemporary indigenous peoples of Amazonia who continue to transcend their human, natural, and otherworldly realms of existence through bodily alteration. A panel discussion follows the lecture.
Mastery and Materiality in the Ancient Americas
Thursday, January 27, 2022, 12:15 pm–1:30 pm
Cost: $4; Free for Members, in the Davis Auditorium, D’Amour Museum of Fine Arts
Not able to join us in person? Watch the lecture on Zoom! Register in advance at SpringfieldMuseums.org/programs. Members free; nonmembers $4.
Ji Mary Seo of Harvard University explores artistic traditions of the ancient Americas, from highly sophisticated weaving, carving, and metallurgical practices to notions of material preciousness in the pre-Hispanic world. This talk examines artworks from both the Andes and Mesoamerica and considers the pre-Hispanic values these objects make evident through their construction and materiality. Seo is a PhD student in the History of Art and Architecture Department at Harvard University
The Body Adorned: Artistry and Legacy of the Ancient Americas is one in a series of American art exhibitions created through a multi-year, multi-institutional partnership formed by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, as part of the Art Bridges Initiative.
Image: Embossed Gold Pectoral, Cocle, 700-1520 C.E., Place of Origin: Sitio Conte area, Cocle Province, Panama, Gold alloy, 9.2 x 8.9 cm (3 5/8 x 3 1/2 in.), Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Museum purchase with funds donated by Landon T. Clay, 1971.1120.