East Meets West: OUMA Lecture

Wednesday October 3, 2018 -- Oglethorpe’s Museum of Art, OUMA, was the location of a lecture on their newest exhibit, “East Meets West: Three Centuries of Artistic Discourse.” As the title suggests, the exhibit showcases around 300 years of art. Its main focus is to portray the ways in which eastern art was influential on later western art, namely European and American.

Exhibitions and events like this one are so important because they provide a way to escape cultural relativity in some ways. Exploring new cultures is essential to life in our multicultural world. Opportunities like this can always be found in such a diverse place as Atlanta but it is even more amazing that it can be found on Oglethorpe’s own campus. It is always valuable to learn new things about other cultures. It also provides the framework for the way in which it is possible for diverse cultures to relate to each other which is useful on a professional and personal level.

The lecture was presented by John Tilford, OUMA’s curator of collections. He shared some interesting facts about the pieces on display. He shared facts about the pieces themselves and their artists. He noted that some of the artwork is on loan from other museums and others come directly from Oglethorpe’s own permanent collection. There are a variety of mediums on display from porcelain to woodblock prints to lithographs.

Additionally, he talked about some lesser known facts about the exhibit. This exhibit which has been two years in the making took lots of hard work of lots of people from the donors, to the patrons and most importantly Mr. Tilford himself.

This event is not the only one that the OUMA will be hosting to celebrate this exhibit. There are several more events coming up in the next few weeks that can be found on OUConnect or by visiting the museum and picking up a schedule.

Having a museum on campus is a unique opportunity that Oglethorpe students should take advantage of. The exhibit will be up until December 9, 2018. Oglethorpe students are encouraged to visit; entry is free with a petrel pass. Whether you are majoring in art history or simply want a break from class to see some amazing pieces, Oglethorpe’s Museum of Art is a great place to be.