Pre-Columbian Art History in the Age of the Wall
Lisa Trever
Lisa and Bernard Selz Associate Professor in
Pre-Columbian Art History and Archaeology
Columbia University
Polygonal Inca wall, Calle Hantunrumioyc, Cusco (photo by Lisa Trever)
In an era of renewed politicization of the US southern border, and with federal calls for nearly 2,000 miles of border wall construction, what are the stakes of Pre-Columbian art history in the United States in 2018? In this talk, Dr. Trever exchanges the language of walls and borders for metaphors of intellectual horizon lines and evidentiary wells. She addresses the multilayered potential of Pre-Columbian art history during a time when the scholarly work of humanistic recognition of indigenous America’s past and present bears an especially heavy weight of representation. Her talk concludes with discussion of examples of contemporary artists who are using the forms of Pre-Columbian art as renewed muses for artistic expression and social activism.
Wednesday, September 12, 2018
6 PM in the Lecture Hall
The Institute of Fine Arts
1 East 78th Street
Followed by a reception with wine and cheese in the Loeb Room
