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Art Study Center Seminar: Finding Solace in Rituals

In this Korean hanging scroll, a large, elaborately dressed figure at right appears to be seated on a rocky cliff by the sea. He has a serene expression and wears flowing robes with intricate patterns, fancy jewelry on his chest, and a headdress with a transparent polka-dot veil that drapes across his body. The figured is encircled by two, halo-like gold circles. There is a tall vase containing willow branches at left near the figure’s outstretched hand. At the bottom left corner, there is a tiny figure wrapped in a red scarf with hands raised toward the larger figure in prayer.
Water-moon Avalokiteshvara [Suwŏl Kwanŭm], Korean, Koryŏ dynasty, 14th century. Hanging scroll; ink, color, and gold pigment on silk. Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Bequest of Grenville L. Winthrop, 1943.57.12.

Seminar

Since we are unable to welcome you into the museums at this time, we are bringing our experts to you in a new online series, Art Study Center Seminars at Home.

This has been a year of rituals interrupted.

Due to the pandemic, many communal rituals that commemorate, whether in joy or grief, major occasions in life have been disrupted, rerouted, and, at times, reinvented. We now feel the heightened poignancy of such rites.

In this seminar, chief curator Soyoung Lee will contemplate the symbolisms and practices of rituals through a selection of objects in the Harvard Art Museums collections.

Led by:
Soyoung Lee, Landon and Lavinia Clay Chief Curator

This virtual seminar will take place online via Zoom. Free admission, but registration is required. To register, please complete this online form.

You will receive an email confirming your registration along with a Zoom link and password for the program. If you have any questions, please contact am_register@harvard.edu.

For instructions on how to join a meeting in Zoom, please click here.

Please check our Harvard Art Museums from Home page for a full list of online programs and a rich array of digital content on offer while the museums are closed. Receive regular updates by subscribing to our newsletter, or follow us on Facebook and Instagram.