America's Ancient Past: Art of the Mounds and Canyon People In
the Southwest United States, pottery-making began about two
thousand years ago and became a powerful form of expression.
Women created a wide range of hand-coiled vessels including
serving dishes and storage vessels for water, food, and seeds.
Pottery was painted with imagery inspired by the everyday world
and the cosmos. Southwest pottery making has remained vibrant to
the present day. In the Southeast United States, many women who
created domestic and ceremonial ceramics were guided by
Mississippian myths about the origins of the world and of
humans. Ceramic vessels were painstakingly hand-coiled.
Engraved, incised, and modeled imagery on the pottery often
related to spiritual symbolism that communicated shared beliefs
and philosophy. This exhibition was curated by Sherry Brydon. In
addition to items from the Eugene and Clare Thaw Collection of
American Indian Art, items are on loan from the Peabody Museum
of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard U