Collecting Maya Art: Praxis and Politics

Catalog description

This course focuses on the art created by Maya artists from 300-900 CE, a time when Maya cities and royal courts flourished. These objects had long lives, continuing into the modern era, when they were eagerly collected and displayed, particularly in the US and Europe. We will study how and why Maya art was first made, and then look at how and why it found its way into modern collections. We will learn about the legal regimes of collecting, and how they have changed over time. We will focus on how Maya art is collected and displayed today, with attention to the ethical questions around collecting practices, and the role of the art market in collection formation. Students will gain hands-on experience in working with local collections, particularly the Middle American Research Institute at Tulane, and the New Orleans Museum of Art, and practice designing a virtual exhibition of Maya art of their own, taking into consideration the contemporary praxis and politics around Indigenous arts.