Dressing the Body: A Brief History of Jewelry and Adornment October 4, 2007

Throughout the millennia, jewelry has been used in a number of interesting ways – to exhibit power and wealth, to proclaim a state of mourning or to demonstrate religious or societal beliefs. Adornment of the body takes different forms and meanings depending on the culture in which it was created, but according to Museum of Fine Arts, Houston curator Cindi Strauss, jewelry consistently “communicates basic messages about who we are and for what we stand.” The MFAH exhibition “Ornament as Art: Avant-Garde Jewelry from the Helen Williams Drutt Collection,” on view beginning September 30, reveals the many influences impacting contemporary jewelry artists, and the individual works challenge our notion of how jewelry is to be created and worn. In this companion course to the exhibition, local art historians and curators will explore pivotal moments throughout the history of jewelry, including the contemporary avant-garde era highlighted in the exhibition.

Six Thursdays, October 4-November 8, 2007, 7:00-8:30 p.m.
Classes will be held at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Registration and fee information available on GSCS Web site.

Official Website: http://gscs.rice.edu/NccCourseView.asp?Mode=View&clCourseID=557