Beginning May 27, we will be closed as part of Oberlin College’s Sustainable Infrastructure Program.
Closed Summer 2024
Beginning May 27, we will be closed as part of Oberlin College’s Sustainable Infrastructure Program.
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Learn MoreJuly 9, 2019 - September 3, 2021
In Stern Gallery West
July 9, 2019 - September 3, 2021
In Stern Gallery West
Glimpse into a different world, where the everyday object became something magical in the hands of artisans working in ivory, jade, cloisonné, and other luxurious materials.
Table settings, combs and hairpins, belt toggles, boxes for documents—all are potentially unremarkable, utilitarian, and overlooked artifacts of daily life. This exhibition provides a glimpse into a different world, where the everyday object—enhanced by the creativity and skills of East Asian master artisans—became something magical.
Highlighted here are spectacular examples of East Asian decorative arts from the permanent collection, largely dating to the 19th century, that complement the ceramics, jades, and ivory netsuke on view in other museum galleries. Included are both very recent additions to the collection and works that came to Oberlin College as part of the bequest of Charles Olney in 1904, as well as many acquisitions from the intervening years—all testaments to the Allen’s abiding interest in Asian decorative arts.
The Enchantment of the Everyday presents objects made with luxurious materials: gold lacquerware, delicately carved ivory, colorful enamelware, glass, metalwork, and complex tapestries and embroideries. The works showcase the inspiration, ingenuity, and technical accomplishments of generations of artists specializing in these diverse mediums.
Joan L. Danforth Curator of Asian Art
November 24, 2019 at 1:00 p.m.
Emma Larson '21 presents on ivory pieces in the exhibition "The Enchantment of the Everyday: East Asian Decorative Arts from the P...
October 13, 2019 at 2:00 p.m.
At 2 p.m., Luoying Sheng ’20 gives a Sunday Object Talk on the Chinese painting "Women Ironing Silk," which is on view in th...
May 12, 2020 at 3:00 p.m.
Kevin R.E. Greenwood, Joan L. Danforth Curator of Asian Art, gives an in-depth presentation on a painting in the exhibition "The E...
July 1, 2021 at 3:00 p.m.
Are dragons always gold-hoarding, maiden-kidnapping, fire-breathing monsters? No! In fact, in East Asia dragons are powerful but b...
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