Frist Center Presents Exhibition of Ancient American Art

Exploring Art of the Ancient Americas: The John Bourne Collection opens March 1, 2013

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Jan. 18, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Frist Center for the Visual Arts welcomes an impressive array of nearly 125 ancient American art objects in Exploring Art of the Ancient Americas: The John Bourne Collection. Opening Friday, March 1, 2013 in the Center's Upper-Level Galleries, this exhibition provides a compelling overview of the art made in Mesoamerica, Central America and Andean South America between the years of 1200 B.C. and A.D. 1520, when the Spanish conquest of the New World began.

Featuring select pieces from the John Bourne Collection at the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, the exhibition presents the objects as both beautiful art forms and insightful expressions of the indigenous peoples of the Americas. "The people inhabiting these regions forged remarkably innovative and sophisticated cultures making the region one of the world's great cradles of civilization on par with those in Europe and Asia," says Frist Center Curator Katie Delmez.

The religious, political and social beliefs of the Olmec, Aztec, Maya and Inka civilizations, among many others, are revealed through the various utilitarian and decorative vessels, sculptures, metal works and jewelry. The pieces serve as illustrations of these societies' fundamental principles such as the shamanic foundation of rulership in Mesoamerica, Costa Rica and Panama, as well as the cosmic principles embodied by gold and silver in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.

"Artists of these ancient cultures expressed each society's individual characteristics through their unique monumental architecture and artful renderings of human figures, spiritual beings and deities," Ms. Delmez explains. "They also created works detailing aspects of daily life, such as dogs, llamas and other animals fashioned from clay and precious metals."

Additionally, Art of the Ancient Americas touches on the performative aspects of politics and religion in ancient American societies. Included in the exhibition are elaborate musical instruments and emotive portrayals of dancers that were used during public and religious events by all classes. "Performance was a key mechanism for strengthening bonds of community and religious beliefs," says Ms. Delmez. "It was a vital social device for real-time communication of a culture's ideologies, similar to how the Internet and TV function within contemporary society."

All of the works in the exhibition come from the collection of John Bourne, which he generously gifted to the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore. After a trip to the jungles of southern Mexico in 1945, Bourne, along with another explorer and photographer, became the first non-Maya to see the ruins of Bonampak, the now famous Mayan site celebrated for its royal building whose interior walls are covered with historically and politically significant murals. Enamored of the creative expressiveness of the peoples of the ancient Americas, Bourne began collecting art from this region and time period. "At this time in the 1950s, Bourne was one of only a few—which included the Mexican artists Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo—who recognized pre-Columbian artifacts as fine art," Ms. Delmez notes. "Art of the Ancient Americas is as much about the cultural expression of these inimitable cultures as it is John Bourne's lifelong love of collecting works from these regions."

Exhibition Credit

This exhibition has been organized by the Walters Art Museum, Baltimore.

Exhibition Acknowledgments

Special thanks to Ocean Way Nashville Recording Studios and Belmont University for their donation of recording time and professional expertise in the production of the exhibition audio tour. 

The Frist Center for the Visual Arts is supported in part by the Metro Nashville Arts Commission, the Tennessee Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Exhibition Catalogue

Exploring Art of the Americas: The John Bourne Collection is written by Dorie Reents-Budet with and introduction by John Bourne and contributions from Julie Lauffenburger, Jessica Arista, Glenn Gates and Marc Zender. Dr. Reents-Budet is consulting curator for art of the ancient Americas at the Walters Art Museum and curator at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

About the Frist Center
Accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, the Frist Center for the Visual Arts, located at 919 Broadway in downtown Nashville, Tenn., is an art exhibition center dedicated to presenting the finest visual art from local, regional, U.S. and international sources in a program of changing exhibitions. The Frist Center's Martin ArtQuest Gallery (open until 5:30 p.m. each day) features interactive stations relating to Frist Center exhibitions. Gallery admission to the Frist Center is free for visitors 18 and younger and to Frist Center members. Frist Center admission is $10.00 for adults and $7.00 for seniors, military and college students with ID.  College students are admitted free Thursday and Friday evenings (with the exception of Frist Fridays), 5–9 p.m.  Discounts are offered for groups of 10 or more with advance reservation by calling 615.744.3247.The Frist Center is open seven days a week: Mondays through Wednesdays, and Saturdays, 10 a.m.–5:30 p.m.; Thursdays and Fridays, 10 a.m.–9 p.m. and Sundays, 1–5:30 p.m., with the Frist Center Cafe opening at noon. Additional information is available by calling 615. 244.3340 or by visiting our website at www.fristcenter.org.

SOURCE Frist Center for the Visual Arts