Dragons and lions and qilong* – oh, my!
These are but a few of the creatures you can expect to find in the fall exhibition, Dragons, Beasts and Butterflies: Asian Art from the Scripps College Collection, running at the Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery from August 31 through October 19, 2003.
Curated and organized by Professor Bruce Coats with the help of Morgan Nomura ’05, a J. Paul Getty Multicultural Summer Intern, Dragons offers traditional artistry from China, Japan, Korea, and India designed to appeal to young and old alike. Exhibition highlights include Japanese woodblock prints from the Aoki Endowment for Japanese Arts and Culture and selections from the Dorothy Adler Routh Chinese Cloisonné Collection at Scripps College—a variety of 16th- through 19th-century sculptural pieces made of bronze and covered with intricate patterns of gold wire and enamel (melted glass) in brilliant blues, rich reds, and gorgeous greens.
In addition to the Routh and Aoki pieces, the exhibition showcases Asian artwork from the Scripps Permanent Collection, such as scrolls, traditional court costumes, ceramic statuaries, bronze mirrors, paintings, and more.
In conjunction with the exhibition, two lectures and an opening reception are scheduled. Collector and scholar of Japanese cloisonné Frederic Schneider will speak on the art of cloisonné at Honnold Library Founder’s Room at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 13. The exhibit’s opening reception follows that evening at 6:00 p.m. in Bixby Courtyard, outside the Gallery, On Wednesday, October 15, John Vollmer, curator and scholar of Asian art and decorative arts, will give a lecture at 7:00 p.m. in Baxter Hall on the Scripps campus.
The exhibition, lectures, and reception are free and open to the public, and special educational materials have been created and will be available free-of-charge for younger visitors. For more information on this exhibit, to arrange a private group tour, or for general exhibition hours, please call the Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery Office at 909.607.3397.
*Qilong are mythical winged horses from Chinese tradition.