A team of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Museum Studies graduate students will stage an exhibition based on ceramic vessels found in the SIUE University Museum's collections as a way of drawing attention to the connections between water, humanity and the Earth. The exhibition will be on view in the Fuller Dome Gallery on the SIUE Campus from through Aug. 31. It will be complemented by a curator talk on Aug. 21 from 12 to 1 p.m.
"Vessels are a pathway to understanding human culture and beliefs," said Erin Vigneau-Dimick, executive curator of the SIUE University Museum. "Additionally, the exhibit focuses on the idea that water is a vital aspect of life and provides a link between people's lives and the art they create."
The vessels represent works by unknown artists of different cultures around the world and have been the subject of research for the Museum Exhibition Practicum students in conjunction with Vigneau-Dimick, who supervised the students and taught the practicum course.
"All the artists displayed here are unknown creators from their respective cultures and did not leave a name or signature," Vigneau-Dimick added. "These items serve to educate and show the wonderful array of vessels created by cultures throughout history. We are featuring ancient works from Greece and Rome, pre-Columbian ceramics from the Mississippian cultures, vessels from the South American cultures of Moche, Chimu, and Shipibo, and vessels from Western and Southern Africa."
"I learned so much about the practical, technical aspects of designing an exhibit and bringing it to life," said Abbigayle Schaefer, one of the student contributors that helped build the exhibit. "I'm also very grateful for the collaborative efforts of my classmates and the University Museum staff. We had big goals, but we were able to bring it all together and create something great."
The exhibit, which is a continuation of the 2019 Museum Exhibition Practicum students' work and was completed during the 2022 summer semester, is open to the entire University community. The curator talk, which will be held by Schaefer along with the other student curators Emily Eckles, John Justice, and Morgan Lindner, is geared towards those interested in learning more about the exhibition process and the individual items in the exhibit.
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