Decorative Arts

Agents of Faith

Wednesday, November 28
8:00 PM

Votive objects frequently created to fulfill a vow or as a pledge in a sacred space or at a site of communal memory have for centuries been collected by those interested in the decorative arts. A representative number of these are currently on display at the Bard Graduate Center Gallery on West 86th Street through January 6, 2019 as part of an exihibit entitled Agents of Faith: Votive Objects in Time and Place curated by Dr. Ittal Weinryb, associate professor at the Bard graduate school.    
   Dr. Weinryb, author of Votive Things: An Introduction will discuss selected decorative objects from the over 300 on view dating from 2000 BC to the twenty-first century, representing the majority of the world’s great religions, from sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas. Included are powerful works of art from the Louvre and the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, and the Bavarian National Museum in Munich. The objects chosen for the exhibit illustrate the global nature of votive practices and the profoundly personal nature behind their creation.