> I am a Masters student currently researching my dissertation,which will
> focus on the presentation of Chinese art and culture in British museums.
I
> was wondering whether anyone could point me in the direction of any
> publications or articles which deal with the theory behind and examples of
> thematic exhibitions particularly in relation to the display of
> ethnographic (or more specifically Chinese) material.

Amy,

I am intrigued by your post because my field is Chinese art history. You and
I both know there are many articles on Chinese art exhibits. However, I
think I am missing exactly what your thesis is. Please make clearer your
connotation of ethnographic material. When you refer to theory, what comes
to my mind, is that we have Asian materials being interpreted through a
Western construct whether the curator/writer is Western or Asian. The art
history discipline itself is Western and yes, even Eurocentric. So is there
a time that we look at these exhibits to tell us about the culture of the
people who produced them, or is it what the art historian has interpreted
about the art and making of art by Chinese people. How about the way in
which this art has found its way to museums--there is documentation if how
wall paintings were removed from caves along the Silk Route and rerouted to
Western museums. The British museums have incredible Chinese collections and
I think a study such as yours would be fascinating and timely.

Terri McNichol
Ren Associates - Asisting Musuem Communities
707 Alexander Road, Bldg. 2 Suite 208
Princeton NJ 08540
609-586-8441

Ren, a Chinese cardinal virtue, stands for benevolence and universal
empathy, encompassing five values of courtesy, magnanimity, good faith,
diligence and kindness-simply translated, it means humanity.

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