{"id":3526,"date":"2021-12-29T21:51:39","date_gmt":"2021-12-29T21:51:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/?p=3526"},"modified":"2021-12-29T21:53:25","modified_gmt":"2021-12-29T21:53:25","slug":"toledo-museum-of-art-reopens-the-cloister-gallery-and-broadens-narrative-of-middle-ages-art","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/2021\/12\/29\/toledo-museum-of-art-reopens-the-cloister-gallery-and-broadens-narrative-of-middle-ages-art\/","title":{"rendered":"Toledo Museum of Art Reopens the Cloister Gallery and Broadens Narrative of Middle Ages Art"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Sojourner\u2019s Truth Staff<\/em><\/p>\n

The Toledo Museum of Art unveiled its renovated Cloister Gallery on Saturday, December 18 after a year-long project designed to enhance the visual experience for visitors and also to display a wider range of the various cultural influences on the Middle Ages.<\/p>\n

The project included a complete reinstallation of the art works, a comprehensive cleaning of the Gallery\u2019s three medieval arcades and Venetian wellhead to remove centuries of accumulated dirt and the addition of works of art that had not been on view for decades.<\/p>\n

A number of the newly added pieces said Adam Levine, TMA\u2019s Edward Drummond and Florence Scott Libbey director and CEO, reflect \u201ca more accurate and inclusive world history \u2026 connecting the Afro-Euro-Asian world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sophie Ong, TMA\u2019s Hirsch curatorial fellow, who led the reinstallation and renovation project, also emphasized the reasons for the cleaning and visual upgrade. She pointed to four reasons for the project:<\/p>\n

\"\"First, said Ong, the TMA staff felt it was important to include the entire breadth of the Middle Ages time frame \u2013 from approximately 500 C.E to 1500 C.E. Those first five centuries or so have erroneously been referred to as the Dark Ages and, from the standpoint, of the art of the period, they were definitely not dark.<\/p>\n

Secondly, the cultural inclusion of the Islamic world is important given the expansion of Islam into Europe and the various European excursions into the primarily Islamic world, including, for example, the Crusades.<\/p>\n

Third, as Levine also point out, the geographic interconnection between Europe, Asia and Africa in both overland and sea explorations brought art together.<\/p>\n

Fourth, from a material standpoint, the exchange of goods and media in which to create art introduced a various items crafted from glass, ceramic, paper \u2013 among others \u2013 to the Middle Ages world at large.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Mosque Lamp<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The new Cloisters Gallery, said Ong, takes \u201can expansive view of the Middle Ages.\u201d The new pieces are a result of foraging through TMA\u2019s storage spaces and brining out \u201csome pieces in storage for decades,\u201d noted Ong.<\/p>\n

As a result of the reinstallation, the Cloister Gallery is now exploring themes such as religious plurality and devotion, the legacies of Rome, the role of women in the arts and cultural interaction and exchange.<\/p>\n

The new diverse collection on display includes a gilded bronze standing Buddha from around 530 C.E.; Late Antique blown glass vessels with Jewish symbols from Jerusalem; a mosque lamp from Mamluk Egypt; a 13th<\/sup> century German reliquary embedded with a carved Carolingian rock crystal; frescoes of saints from 12th<\/sup> and 13th<\/sup> century Catalonia; ivory caskets with scenes from medieval romances and a 14th<\/sup> century Sultanate Mihrab from India.<\/p>\n

Admission to the Museum is always free but visitors are asked to register at the Information Desk when they arrive. The Museum is open Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Fridays and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. The Museum is closed on Sundays and Mondays and all major holidays.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n