What:  "From Desert and Oasis:  Arts of the People of Central Asia"
When:  February 14 through April 26, 1998
Where:  Virginia and Alfred Kennedy, Martha and Eugene Odum and Philip Henry Alston Jr. Galleries, Georgia Museum of Art, University of Georgia, Athens

 The Georgia Museum of Art will host the exhibition "From Desert and Oasis:  Arts of the People of Central Asia" from February 14 through April 26, 1998.  This exhibition, drawn primarily from the collection of Mr. and Mrs. Tamor Shah of Atlanta, Georgia, includes over 100 artifacts from the major ethnic groups of Central Asia, including Uzbeks, Turkmens, Kyrgyz, Kazakhs, and Arabs from the recently independent countries of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, as well as from Iran and Afghanistan.  Many of the items, which date from the mid-19th through the mid-20th centuries, have rarely, if ever, been exhibited publicly.

These people represent both nomadic and settled populations with different, yet related, woven and textile traditions.  The woven items, which include rugs, bags, festive trappings in both pile and flatweave techniques, and felted pieces are typical of the nomadic groups. The various pieces show the range of uses, techniques employed, and artistic concepts of the people.  The textiles, which include embroidered suzanis and ikats, were made mostly by urban people and were fashioned into festive items and clothing. Jewelry, a major repository of wealth and artistic expression, was important in both settled and nomadic societies and was worn for festive occasions and for displaying wealth and social position.  The exhibition will be highlighted by a fully furnished yurt, a collapsible, portable dwelling used by nomads--complete with costumed "family" figures and life-sized mannequins of a horse and camel to display the many elaborate and beautiful trappings created for use with these animals.
 
The museum will publish a scholarly, illustrated catalogue written by guest curator George O'Bannon of Tucson, Arizona, an internationally recognized authority on Oriental rugs and author of numerous books, catalogues and articles about oriental rugs.  The works featured in the exhibition were chosen for their exquisite artistic quality, excellent condition and suitability as representations of the cultures of the various tribes.

The exhibition will be on view in the Virginia and Alfred Kennedy, Martha and Eugene Odum and Philip Henry Alston Jr. Galleries and is generously sponsored by Director's Circle members Patricia Irvin Cooper, Mr. and Mrs. J. P. Huskins, and Mrs. William T. Bennett.

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