Press Release

OUMA Displays Korean Treasures from Birmingham Museum of Art
"The Land of the Morning Calm" on View March 21 thru April 11

ATLANTA – It is no secret that the art and culture of Korea has strong roots in China, Buddhism and Confucianism, but a unique collection of 25 artworks on display at the Oglethorpe University Museum of Art (OUMA) from March 21 to April 11 also shows a distinctly Korean component. The exhibit, "The Land of the Morning Calm," dates back to 300 BCE and the country’s Three Kingdoms (57 BCE to ACE 668) when Korean artisans introduced glazing to produce extraordinary works in ceramics and porcelain. This development lead to a unique inlaid celadon technique (a type of grayish-green glaze) much admired throughout Asia.

"This is a representative collection designed to introduce museum goers to some of the main trends in classical Korean art over the last millennium," says Jason Wirth, associate professor of philosophy and one of OUMA’s Asian art curators.

According to Lloyd Nick, director of OUMA, "The pieces we have are on loan from the Birmingham Museum of Art and represent the works of Korean artists from pre-historic to modern times and eras in between."

"The celadon technique in particular," says Donald A. Wood, curator of Asian art in Birmingham, "was an important innovation by Korean potters who would use unassuming yet sturdy white porcelain and stoneware in order to reflect the pragmatic teachings of Buddha and Confucius."

The exhibit will be on view in the South Gallery of OUMA and shares the spotlight with the exhibit "The Flying Mystics of Tibetan Buddhism," which opened earlier this year. A symposium on Korean art and culture is also scheduled at the Atlanta College of Art and Kennesaw State University during this exhibit.

"Land of the Morning Calm:
Korean Treasures from the Birmingham Museum of Art"
March 21 – April 11, 2004

Museum Hours:
Tuesday through Sunday: noon to 5 p.m.
Closed Monday and University holidays

Upcoming Museum Lectures:

March 23, 2004 7:30 p.m.
"Art and Nature in the Work of Paul Klee," Dr. John Sallis, Edwin Erle Sparks Professor of Philosophy, Pennsylvania State University. Free admission. Museum, Skylight Gallery.

March 24, 2004 7:30 p.m.
"Buddhist Monastic Practice in Contemporary Korea," Dr. Robert Buswell, Professor and Chair, Department of Asian Languages and Cultures, UCLA. Free admission. Museum, Skylight Gallery.

March 29, 2004 7:30 p.m.
"A Shaman Through the Camera Lens," Dr. Laurel Kendall, Professor, Columbia University and the Graduate School and University Center of City University, New York; Anthropologist and Curator, American Museum of Natural History, New York City. Free admission. Museum, Skylight Gallery.

April 7, 2004 7:30 p.m.
"Making This Life Significant: The Serious Business of Creativity," Dr. Roger Ames, Professor of Chinese and Comparative Philosophy, University of Hawaii at Manoa. Free admission. Museum, Skylight Gallery.

For further information about OUMA events or to schedule a docent tour, call 404. 364.8555 or go to our Award-Winning Web site.

###