Craft or Commodity?
For generations, people have woven, molded, and carved objects for a myriad of reasons, utilizing techniques informed by their culture, identity, and natural landscapes. This exhibition highlights the Global Museum’s collection of mid-20th century crafts purchased by anthropology researchers studying international arts sold to tourists in the souvenir market. Each craft featured in the exhibition has been researched and interpreted by student curators to honor the legacies that these crafts represent to the people who made them, and highlight subtle cues they reveal about the colonial histories felt by themselves and their communities. The title of this exhibition is posed as a question to inspire further inquiries such as –what happens to an object when it travels outside taken from its source community? How have colonialist interventions impacted the sacred process of making things?
An opening reception will take place on November 16th, 2024 from 1:00 to 3:00 PM.