17³Ô¹Ï

Friends of 17³Ô¹Ïpresent the next webinar in the 2023-2024 season onÌýFebruary 22, 2024, at 6:00 pm EST,Ìýpresented by Dr. Kiersten Neumann moderated by Dr. Agnete Lassen.

Curating an exhibition of contemporary art comes with the incredible opportunity of collaborating with living artists to realize together how to give voice and vision to their work. Doing so in the space of an archaeological museum brings with it the added opportunity to revisit and reevaluate traditional object narratives and museological methods. For centuries Western cultural institutions and museum exhibitions have advanced historical narratives of ancient West Asia with a singular, authoritative voice, predominantly disconnected from the present. Contemporary installations have the power to forefront and celebrate the complexity and continuity of this rich cultural heritage, presenting postcolonial perspectives and thought-provoking artistic responses that draw on diverse lived experiences, memories, and imagination.

In this webinar, Kiersten Neumann will discuss powerful examples of the pairing of contemporary art and archaeological objects from her own experience as an art historian, archaeologist, and curator, demonstrating some of the ways in which such contemporary interventions, including those by local and diaspora artists and communities, can bring a uniquely humanizing perspective to this history.

The webinar will conclude with a live Q&A session moderated by Dr. Agnete Lassen.

Ìýspecializes in the art and archaeology of West Asia, with a focus on Assyrian and Achaemenid material culture. In addition to co-editingÌýÌý(2022), she has published numerous articles on sensory experience, ritualized practice, and visual culture, as well as on museum practice, collecting histories, and provenance research. She is Curator of the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures Museum (ISAC Museum [formerly Oriental Institute Museum]), Research Associate at ISAC, and Lecturer in the Department of Art History at the University of Chicago. At the ISAC Museum, she has curated such exhibitions asÌýÌý(2022),Ìý(2022–2023), andÌýÌý(2023), in addition to the museum’s permanent galleries as part of a complete renovation (2019). She has conducted fieldwork in Turkey (Tell Tayinat) and Greece (Athenian Agora), and collaborates on international museum, art, and cultural heritage projects and exhibitions. Originally from Vancouver, Canada, she received her B.A. and M.A. from the University of British Columbia and her Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, during which time she also worked at the Badè Museum of Biblical Archaeology in Berkeley, ultimately as Associate Curator and Interim Director. Kiersten became involved with 17³Ô¹Ïin 2008. In addition to being an active participant at the 17³Ô¹Ïannual meetings, she is a member of the Program Committee (co-chair since 2022), which she represents on the Chairs Coordinating Council; she was a member of the Ad Hoc Committee on ASOR’s Name (2020); and she joined the Board of Trustees in January of this year.

This webinar will be recorded and all paid registrantsÌýwill be sent a link to view the recording.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

*Please log in to theÌýÌýBEFORE registering for the webinar. Once you have logged in, you will be able to register under our Events page linked above.

17³Ô¹ÏSustaining Members: $0 | 17³Ô¹ÏMembers: $6.50 | Public: $13
Season Pass: 17³Ô¹ÏSustaining Members: $0 | 17³Ô¹ÏMembers: $75 | Public: $155

Please e-mailÌýmembership@asor.orgÌýwith any questions or issues with registering.

All proceeds from this webinar are used to fund scholarships for members as well as increasing ASOR’s online resources, which are free to the public.