art letters
HIT AND MYTH More than 100 pieces of world art – from Native American robes to Grecian urns – elevate a Lowe Art Museum exhibition to mythic proportions. “Myth must be kept alive. The people who can keep it alive are the artists of one kind or another.”
Those words were written by Joseph Campbell, the late educator, writer, lecturer and master of comparative mythology. They’ve been taken to heart by the curators at the University of Miami’s Lowe Art Museum. Drawing from the Lowe’s own extensive collection, they have created Sacred Stories, Timeless Tales: The Mythic Traditions in World Art. The exhibition, which contains more than 100 pieces spanning the continents and the centuries, runs through Oct. 23. Grecian urns and Renaissance paintings tell tales of classical Western gods and heroes. Tapestries and sculptures depict pan-Asian and African deities. A contemporary Native American beaded robe depicts the raven, which brought light to the world. Myths deal not with concrete realities, but eternal truths. They help bridge the gap between humanity, and the unseen forces that shape destinies. —Kingsley Guy
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Artist: Beau Dick, Kwakwaka'wakw (Canada), b. 1955 Button Robe, 1988 wool, cashmere, cotton, dye, beads and haliotis buttons and plaques 59 3/4 x 71" Museum purchase through funds from Beaux Arts in honor of the 50th Anniversary of the Lowe Art Museum