New Student Exhibit Offers Fresh Perspective on the Ancient World
Classics Department student works on display at Shields Library through spring quarter
Is the ancient world really so distant from our own experience? A spring quarter student exhibit at Shields Library invites viewers to examine how the present continues to be shaped and challenged by the past.
Located on the north wall of Shields 150 (first floor, east wing), “The Past in Practice: Interpreting the Ancient World” presents final projects from three classes taught by Professor of Classics Bianca Hand — Death and Dying in the Ancient World, Introduction to Neo-Assyrian Art, and Fakes and Forgeries: The Art of Replication.
In place of a traditional final exam, students created original works — grounded in research and class learnings — that apply ancient material culture to their own identities and contemporary concerns. The resulting projects, which include mixed media, ceramics, paintings, sculptures, letters, clay, plaster casts, handspun wool and gold leaf, transform historical study into living practice.
The exhibit will be on display through the end of spring quarter — we invite you to check it out during your next visit to Shields!
Funding for this exhibition was generously donated by Medieval and Early Modern Studies (MEMS); the College of Letters and Science Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education and Student Success; and the UC Davis Undergraduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activities Conference.