ICMA in Toledo
Study event for Ethiopia at the Crossroads
Toledo Museum of Art
Toledo, Ohio
Saturday 19 October 2024
11am ET
Register HERE
Ethiopian, Psalter with Praise of Mary (Wəddase Maryam) and the Canticles of the Prophets. About 1400-1500. Ink and pigments on parchment with wooden boards. Open: 8 7/8 × 6 11/16 × 3 15/16 in. Toledo Museum of Art. Mrs. George W. Stevens Fund. 2021.37
ICMA members are invited to a day-long study event at the Toledo Museum of Art for the exhibition Ethiopia at the Crossroads. Curated at the TMA by Sophie Ong, the day will begin with a curator-led tour at 11am ET. Lunch will be provided before a public lecture by Michael Gervers (University of Toronto) at 2pm, titled Rock-Hewn Churches and Sacred Groves: Architecture as the Home of Religion and Art in Ethiopia. After the lecture, members will have time to view the exhibition.
More information about the exhibition can be found HERE
More information about the public lecture by Michael Gervers can be found HERE
Register HERE for the ICMA study event
ABOUT THE LECTURE
Rock-Hewn Churches and Sacred Groves: Architecture as the Home of Religion and Art in Ethiopia
Saturday 19 October 2024 2-3pm
Michael Gervers, University of Toronto
There is a long tradition of monumental architecture in Ethiopia. Evidence is to be found in the great Sabean temple and palace in Yeha from the 8th century B.C., with more early sites being discovered in the Tigraen highlands through archaeological excavation. Medieval monuments are rare; only a handful remain standing. Heavy summer rains and periods of severe conflict have led to the destruction of most. From at least the 11th century, churches were being carved into and out of the rock; these have endured for a thousand years and are still being made. The 16th century sees the introduction of the round church in more southerly regions, today typically surrounded by what remains of a once larger forest, now a sacred grove. Whether built or carved, all these places of worship provide the space and context for the unique objects to be seen in “Ethiopia at the Crossroads.”
This lecture will be given by Michael Gervers of University of Toronto. Dr. Gervers has been teaching History and Art History at the University of Toronto since 1976 (after three years as Assistant Professor at New York University), and has been Full Professor since 1984.
Ethiopia at the Crossroads is co-organized by the Toledo Museum of Art (TMA), Walters Art Museum, and Peabody Essex Museum. The exhibition is curated by Dr. Christine Sciacca and curated for TMA by Sophie Ong, Assistant Director of Strategic Initiatives. The exhibition was awarded the inaugural ICMA-Kress Exhibition Development Grant, and was made possible by two major grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy Demands Wisdom and a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (MA-253352-OMS-23).
TMA’s presentation is made possible with the generous support of Presenting Sponsors Susan & Tom Palmer, Platinum Sponsors The Zenith Foundation and Cynthia & Ron Thompson, and Gold Sponsors TMA Ambassadors, with additional funding from the Ohio Arts Council, which receives support from the State of Ohio and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this exhibition do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, or other funders.