Reblogged from the NY Times, 3/5/2008:
Exhibition Review
Two New Shows Cast Light and Darkness on Early Cultures in the Americas
by Edward Rothstein
So an attitude of promotional banality clouds the considerable virtues of [the Field Museum] show, which is rich in example and description, if not in analysis; this is a problem shared by many exhibitions about native peoples. The Field even boasts that it brought in indigenous descendants to advise and approve — something that has become perversely obligatory for museums, even if it is a little like consulting today’s residents of Tuscany when mounting an exhibition about ancient Rome.
Rothstein compares the temporary exhibition “Exploring the Early Americas” at the Library of Congress and the permanent installation “The Ancient Americas” at the Field Museum in Chicago. The article includes a slideshow.
Above: Moche sculptures at the Field Museum. Photo: Joshua Lott for the New York Times
Comments