'Ban Chiang' Exhibit displays art and archeology in new way

When artists join up with archaeologists, the results can be quite remarkable. Since 1990, more than 35 work-study students from the University have done just that. And the most recent product of this partnership can be seen on display at the University Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. "Illuminating the Past: The Art and Artists of the Ban Chiang Project" focuses on technical drawings of artifacts such as pottery, jewelry and skeletons. The exhibit features more than 70 drawings -- each done in either pencil or pen and ink -- depicting artifacts, burials and cemeteries. According to Ban Chiang Project Director Joyce White, University student artists worked with archaeologists to understand and reproduce the artifacts. The artists would accompany the archaeologists to the sites and use the ancient objects or photographs discovered as models for their works. White, who is a research archaeologist for the museum, said she served as the intermediary between the archaeologists and the artists. "I worked to strengthen their partnership," she said. "The artists are the eyes and hands, and I am their interpreter." The illustrations reveal information about the meaning and internal structure of the artifacts, White explained. "In creating technical drawings, the artist can make choices of interpretation and show details that a photograph cannot," she added. Some of the student artists said they found the experience both challenging and rewarding. "Doing this kind of art is much more scientific and exact than what I had been used to doing," College senior Julia Wiland said. "You cannot use your imagination in producing an accurate representation of an artifact." Wiland, who also worked as a research assistant for the exhibit, added that a great deal of preparation went into the display. "The planning included a preliminary selection of the illustrations and five rounds of narrowing down which look best for display," she said. The drawings will be immortalized in scholarly reports on Ban Chiang, which will be published in archaeological books and monographs. This pleased many of the artists, including College senior Stephen Houghton. "I'm very proud to see my work exhibited for the first time," he said. "But even more important is the idea that, through publication, my work will be exhibited across the world for scholars." The first volume of a monograph series on the Ban Chiang research is slated to be published in 1997. The exhibit will be on display in the University Museum until August 31.

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