Opening Thursday, April 6: Museum Object Class Exhibition Visions of the Nazca

On Thursday, April 6, the twelve undergraduates in the spring Museum Object class under the direction of PhD candidate Gabriela Germaná are proud to host the opening of their exhibition Visions of the Nazca: Painted Images of an Andean Ancient Society, in the WJB Gallery.

The exhibition presents a group of pre-Columbian ceramic items curated from the Carter Collection, which is held at the FSU Museum of Fine Arts for the Anthropology Department. The 29 selected ceramic objects were produced by the Nazca civilization which flourished between the first and seventh centuries AD on the southern coast of Peru. Nazca pottery features stunning naturalistic and mythological designs on thin-walled vessels in a variety of shapes.  In researching the materials, the students are focussing on the evolution of Nazca ceramics over time, as well as the cultural and religious significance of the painted motifs.

The Carter Collection was donated to the Department of Anthropology by John and Mary Carter in 1944 and includes a variety of objects from various Andean ancient cultures. Because the collection is not on permanent display, the exhibition at WJB Galley will be a unique opportunity to appreciate some rarely seen magnificent pieces of pre-Columbian art.

Visions of the Nazca: Painted Images of an Andean Ancient Society opens Thursday, April 6 at 5 pm in the WJB Gallery (room 1085 William Johnston Building) and will remain open to the public Monday–Thursday 10–4 though April 27.