Shards of the Past
Pre-Columbian Art from the Frost Art Museum May 7 – August 31, 2014
Pre-Columbian refers to the time in the Americas before the arrival of Christopher Columbus and the Spanish explorers. Cultures and civilizations were already flourishing, thriving, and evolving, while remaining virtually isolated from other parts of the world. This time period spans 11,000 BCE until the first decades of the 1500s CE. Upon the arrival of the explorers, we see the collapse of these civilizations and subsequent destruction of their temples and social structures along with a wealth of objects and ritual artifacts.
Many relics from these cultures are intact for us to admire and study; although these are just a small glimpse of what was created. Throughout this large area, some objects survived unbroken, some were ritually broken, and some were destroyed by the passage of time. Most of the surviving objects were found in graves, the remnants of offerings for the dead.
We have chosen to represent Pre-Columbian art from the Frost collection in three subject areas: Animal Imagery, Men and Women, and Functional Vessels. This is a small sample from cultures across Meso-America and South America that shows the diversity, technical achievement, and beauty of their art.
View the Exhibition Checklist here.
View the Exhibition Catalog here.
View a timeline of cultures included here.
View a map of cultures included here.
Nina.Laguna 