Americas at Princeton 95 FIG. 12: Lidded effi gy container in the form of a diving god. Maya, northern Belize or Quintana Roo, Mexico. C. AD 1500. Ceramic with post-fi re polychrome paint. H: 12.7 cm. The Princeton University Art Museum, museum purchase with funds given by an anonymous foundation, inv. y1982-15. Photo: Bruce M. White. FIG. 13 (below): Bowl depicting twin fi gures with a fi sh over their heads, style III. Mimbres Valley, New Mexico. AD 1000–1150. Ceramic with white and black slip. H: 16 cm. The Princeton University Art Museum, gift of Michael D. Coe, inv. y1982-85. FIG. 14 (right): Vessel in the form of a seated man. Nasca, South Coast, Peru. Middle Nasca. AD 330–430. Ceramic with polychrome slip. H: 11.7 cm. The Princeton University Art Museum, gift of Carol R. Meyer in honor of Gillett G. Griffi n, inv. y1990-15. Photo: Bruce M. White. In addition to fresh paint, carpet, and in-case fabrics, the gallery refurbishment includes an overall reorganization of the space, generally following geography. Upon entering the galleries from those of the ancient Mediterranean, visitors are greeted with featured objects in freestanding cases, which are positioned adjacent to wall cases that present additional art from the same geographic region. On one side, displays begin in the far north, with selections of art from the Alaskan Arctic. The other side begins in the south, with selections of art from lower South America, including the ancient arts of the Amazon basin and the Chilean Andes. Moving into the gallery, the organization continues along each side, culminating at the center of the Americas in the rear gallery, where Princeton’s exceptional holdings of art from ancient Mesoamerica reside. Throughout, only select artworks from each culture and period are presented. The nearly seventyfi ve percent reduction in the number of objects on display offers signifi cantly more space for didactic accompaniment—in fact, every object is addressed to some degree by a descriptive label—and the result is a dramatically different aesthetic experience from what existed previously. Thanks to the complete replacement of the gallery lighting system with new LED lighting, each object is now illuminated to highlight its visual qualities. The new design was developed with the future always in mind. We are keen to regularly provide new encounters in the space through periodic rotation of works in the collection, select loans, and new acquisitions. For the initial installation, numerous objects from private collections and two regional museums—the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology and the Philadelphia Museum of Art—join Princeton’s holdings. The works selected for loan are meant to complement the museum’s own collection with objects otherwise underrepresented. From the University of Pennsylvania, for example, we have borrowed a selection of ancient Amazonian ceramics, as well as a very fi ne cast gold fi gural vessel of the Quimbaya culture of ancient Colombia (fi g. 6). The Philadelphia Museum of Art has graciously lent three monumental works, two from Teotihuacan and the other of imperial Aztec manufacture, which offer a scale of object similarly underrepresented in the Princeton University Art Museum. The new installation is intended to be a dynamic and engaging space, one in which the public and students alike can learn, explore, and enjoy. While a great deal of thought went into the initial refurbishment, we see it as a work in progress and welcome the thoughts and reactions of visitors. Given the depth of the Princeton University Art Museum’s ancient Americas holdings and the plans to regularly rotate objects in the gallery, each visit should now provide fresh discoveries. This essay is a revised version of an article that fi rst appeared in the spring issue of the Princeton University Art Museum’s member’s magazine.
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