Designing Jewels of the Nile

The words “ancient Egypt” can evoke larger-than-life images— towering pyramids and palaces, vast desert landscapes, the great Nile River, legendary pharaohs. Yet some of the most prized and sacred artifacts from that early civilization would fit in the palm of your hand—tiny ornaments designed to adorn and magically protect the body, in life and after death. Some of the finest surviving examples of Egyptian jewelry, ranging from elaborate necklaces to individual beads, are showcased in the exhibition Jewels of the Nile: Ancient Egyptian Treasures from the Worcester Art Museum. With over 300 objects, Jewels of the Nile is considered a large exhibition. Yet most of the pieces are no bigger than a few inches, and many are much smaller. Creating a compelling and engaging exhibition around so many tiny objects proved to be an unusual challenge. However, the Jewels of the Nile designers, Yugon Kim, Tomomi Itakura, and Karen Kuo of IKD Design, were up to the task. “We knew right away that we were going to have to get a sense of the big picture— how the objects needed to be organized and what narrative was being told through these objects,” said Itakura. “We wanted this show to be special and unique. There have been countless Egyptian exhibitions, and we have designed other Egyptian exhibitions in the past. The big questions for us were: in what way is this particular show—at this particular time at WAM— important, and how is this one different from any other Egyptian exhibition?” They focused on the story of Bostonians Kingsmill Marrs and Laura Norcross Marrs and their friendship with archaeologist Howard Carter, who discovered King Tutankhamun’s tomb on November 4, 1922. That friendship, cultivated over many years in the early 1900s through correspondence and travels to Egypt, resulted in one of the most extensive collections of ancient Egyptian jewelry in the United States. The collection developed within the careful parameters put in place by the Egyptian government. Only artifacts that duplicated what was already in the national collections left the country. Upon her death in 1926, Mrs. Marrs donated to WAM the collection she and her husband assembled with Carter’s expert advice. The IKD team worked with the exhibition guest curators, Peter Lacovara and Yvonne J. Markowitz, to anchor the displays of colorful jewelry and other objects in the Marrs/Carter story. Photographs of Egyptian landmarks taken in the early 20th-century, when the Marrses spent time in Egypt, were enlarged to fit gallery walls, creating exciting, life-size backdrops. Thus, visitors can explore the ancient artifacts under the gaze of the Great Sphinx, or alongside the mortuary Temple of Ramses III in Western Thebes—almost under the shade of palm trees. A vintage postcard with a photograph of the grand Winter Palace, where the Marrses stayed when they visited Luxor, fully occupies another wall. Elsewhere, oversized papyrus and relief paintings with hieroglyphics and scenes of

Views of the exhibition, Jewels of the Nile: Ancient Egyptian Treasures from the Worcester Art Museum.

ancient daily life convey what it might have looked like inside a temple or tomb. “We felt the space needed these strong immersive visual moments to contrast with the scale of the objects,” explained Kim. “The images also show how the jewelry was made and worn, offering another layer to the experience. And, since most of the display cases require looking down to view the objects, the backdrops provide visual interest at eye level and above.” Creating a meaningful experience for visitors was more than designing impactful visuals and displays, according to Itakura. “Many visitors coming to see Jewels of the Nile might have preconceived notions or assumptions about Egyptian culture and history. We hope that by experiencing the exhibition, they will come away with some new knowledge or realization, along with curiosity and a desire to learn more.” For Kuo and her IKD colleagues, it has been deeply satisfying to be part of WAM’s effort to celebrate the contributions of ancient Egyptians and excite new audiences about a cultural legacy that has endured for thousands of years. “When Mrs. Marrs gifted this collection to WAM, she wrote that her Egyptian jewelry would make a ‘wonderful display.’ And now, the collection is finally being shown together in its entirety for the first time,” Kuo said. “We hope Mrs. Marrs is pleased!”

This exhibition is made possible through the generous support from Dr. Sohail Masood, his wife Mona Masood, and their children Laila Masood and Omar Masood. Additional generous funding is provided by the Rita J. and Stanley H. Kaplan Family Foundation, Inc., Fletcher Foundation, and Sandy Hubbard and Thomas J. Logan. Interactive elements in the exhibition are supported in part by the Mass Cultural Council's Innovation Fund. Related programming is supported by the Schwartz Charitable Foundation. Sponsored by:

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