A piece from the Kuna exhibition.

The Denison Museum will kick off the new year by showcasing two exhibitions featuring items from the museum’s permanent collection. The exhibitions, “Kuna: Central American Indian Art & Artifacts from the Denison Museum” (through March 29) and “Between Light & Shadow: Chinese Puppets from the Denison Museum,” (through Feb. 22) will open to the public with a reception from 5 to 7 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 23, at the Denison Museum in Burke Hall (240 W Broadway).

A third exhibition, “Stieglitz and Norman: An American Place,” will open to the public on Monday, March 2, and run through March 29. All are free and open to the public. The Denison Museum is open daily from 12 to 5 p.m. and Thursdays from 12 to 7 p.m.

Featuring approximately 200 objects on display, “Kuna” will investigate the Denison Museum’s extensive collection of the art and artifacts of this Central American island culture, including molas (textile designs), nuchus (wooden votives), jewelry and musical instruments. The culture of the Kuna will be examined through the interpretive curatorial lens of the groundbreaking text “Mimesis and Alterity: A Particular History of the Senses,” by Michael Taussig, professor of performance studies at New York University.

“Lights & Shadow” will explore some unique and rarely seen pieces from the museum’s permanent collection. Donated by Denison graduate Daniel Sheets Dye, class of 1907, these painted shadow puppets highlight the diversity of Chinese traditional theatre arts. They will be displayed theatrically and also will appear in an interactive animation program, which will be fun for adults and children alike.

“Stieglitz and Norman” is an exhibit of early 20th century photographs on loan from the Ross Museum of Art at Ohio Wesleyan University. Photographer Dorothy Norman, author of a biography of the photographer and gallerist Alfred Stieglitz, worked and recorded conversations at the latter’s gallery, An American Place (New York City), between 1927 and Stieglitz’s death in 1946. The exhibit showcases the work of both artists.

The Denison Museum has a number of events to accompany the exhibitions, including a book club meeting; a faculty book club selection; family day; a modern and contemporary photography roundtable discussion; a lecture on “mola” textile arts; and a print conservation lecture. For more information and an updated event schedule, call 740-587-6255 or visit www.denison.edu/museum. All events are free and open to the public.

The Denison Museum is dedicated to providing a first-hand cultural experience to students, faculty and staff of the University and the wider community. An ongoing program of lectures, symposia, visiting artists, gallery tours and other events is available to the Denison audience and the general public.

To learn more about these exhibitions and view some of the featured pieces, link to the Denison Museum Web site here.

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