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January 15, 2009

Bronze exhibition peeks into the past

Steppe dwellers mobile; animals were important

By MARTA HEPLER DRAHOS

TRAVERSE CITY -- They may have lost all scent of the psychotropic herbs they once held, but the spoons, cauldrons and other objects used in shamanistic rituals of the eastern steppes have lost none of their fascination for museum director Eugene Jenneman.

The ceremonial items are among some 80 ornaments, weapons, tools and vessels on display in "Ancient Bronzes of the Asian Grasslands from the Arthur M. Sackler Foundation," a new exhibition of ancient steppe art opening Sunday at the Dennos Museum Center.

The exhibition brings to life the complex cultures that once flourished across the Asian grasslands from northern China and Mongolia into Eastern Europe. Objects dating back to 1,000 B.C. or earlier include decorative garment plaques and belt buckles used to adorn clothing; ear and head ornaments; bridle, harness and yoke ornaments; knives, swords, adze blades and ax heads; needle and awl cases; and ornaments for vehicles and funeral canopies.

"It's fascinating to see these objects and be able to put on a pair of gloves and handle something that was part of daily life then," said Jenneman, who has been working on the exhibition for about a week.

A mobile people who relied on animals for food, shelter and clothing, the horse-riding steppe dwellers traveled seasonally to provide grazing land for their livestock. They also guided and supplied the Silk Road and other trade routes linking Asia and Europe in ancient times.

Accordingly their art objects were easy to carry, pack or wear, and were often made of metals, said Trudy S. Kawami, director of research for the Arthur M. Sackler Foundation and the exhibition's curator.

"You don't have fancy ceramics because ceramics break," Kawami said. "Metal is light and sturdy."

In researching the exhibition, Kawami said she was struck by the immediacy and personal identity of the art, most of which was made to be worn by everyday people.

"This is not grandiose sculpture to be looked on from a distance," she said. "This isn't like King Tut. It's what ordinary people have."

Animals are a primary theme in the art, revealing how the steppe cultures used the animal world as a source of symbols to indicate tribe, social rank and connection to the spirit world, Jenneman said. Examples include belt buckles showing animals mating and preying on each other and small sculptural animals that decorated vehicles and funeral canopies.

Some of the museum director's favorite works relate to shamanic activities: small ceremonial spoons that crushed and dispensed the mind-altering substances shamans used to contact the spirit world, rattles and bells that announced their arrival, and finials for their ceremonial sticks or wands.

Much of the art is intricate and richly detailed, he said, serving as a reminder that ancient people were as accomplished as their modern-day counterparts.

Jenneman said many of the objects are similar to those he saw in November at the Shangai Museum and the Forbidden City in Beijing.

The exhibition is organized by the Arthur M. Sackler Foundation, established in 1965 to make Sackler's art collections available to the public. It runs through March 30 along with a Feb. 21 concert by An Da Union, musicians from Inner Mongolia, and an Arts of Mongolia Family Day, also Feb. 21.

Reception, Jan. 24

5 p.m. -- Exhibitions preview: Ancient Bronzes of the Asian Grasslands from the Arthur M. Sackler Foundation, Andy Warhol: Photography -- Gifts of the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, and Fred Petroskey: A Leelanau Portrait

5:15 p.m. -- Lecture by exhibition curator Trudy S. Kawami, Ph.D., director of research, Arthur M. Sackler Foundation, New York, "Ancient Bronzes of the Asian Grasslands: Who Wore Them and Why?"

6 p.m. -- Wine and hors d'oeuvres reception and "Fred Petroskey: A Leelanau Portrait" book signing

7:15 p.m. -- Conversation with Fred Petroskey and Gintaras R. Kastys, author of "Fred Petroskey: A Leelanau Portrait"

RSVP -- 995-1055 by Jan. 22

Dress -- Business or party attire

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