{"id":916,"date":"2021-04-09T20:22:27","date_gmt":"2021-04-09T20:22:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/trouttalk\/?p=916"},"modified":"2025-05-23T19:17:15","modified_gmt":"2025-05-23T19:17:15","slug":"abbie-cottle-on-imagining-the-divine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/trouttalk\/2021\/04\/09\/abbie-cottle-on-imagining-the-divine\/","title":{"rendered":"Abbie Cottle on Imagining the Divine"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Exhibition Title Wall: Imagining The Divine<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What was your original vision for the exhibit<\/span><\/b>ion, <\/span><\/b>Imagining The Divine: Religious Mythology and Art<\/span><\/i><\/b>?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I first <\/span>started<\/span> to think about this exhibition <\/span>during<\/span> my junior year and from the <\/span>beginning<\/span> I knew I <\/span>wanted the show to focus on some <\/span>aspect of <\/span>religion. <\/span>Since<\/span> I\u2019m <\/span>a religion and archaeology double major I felt the study and presentation of material culture related to <\/span>religious beliefs<\/span> would be a perfect combination of my academic interests. <\/span>Much m<\/span>ore importantly though, I<\/span> feel<\/span> strongly that religion is <\/span>a <\/span>topic that is worthy of<\/span>,<\/span> and necessitates<\/span>,<\/span> more<\/span> discussion in the public sphere. <\/span>There seems to be a particular hesitancy in American culture to talk about religion with <\/span>individuals<\/span> we don\u2019t know <\/span>well,<\/span> and I think this is a mistake<\/span>. One of the reasons religion interests me is because I\u2019m interested in people. I\u2019m interested in how they think and how they feel and what is important to them. <\/span>S<\/span>o often religion is what people turn to in times of great hardship and in times of profound jubilation. <\/span>Religion is<\/span> obviously an <\/span>influential<\/span> and vital <\/span>force in <\/span>many <\/span>people\u2019s lives and to understand <\/span>other <\/span>people better we should try to understand their beliefs. <\/span>In that vein, it <\/span>was always a goal of mine<\/span> that this exhibition be a way to foster interfaith <\/span>dialogue<\/span> both on campus and in the wider community.<\/span> From the nascent stages of the exhibition planning I knew I wanted religion to be at the center<\/span> and <\/span>I also knew that I wanted a variety of world religions equally represented. I wanted the breadth and diversity of some of the world\u2019s faiths to be on display while also highlighting some of the similarities they share. <\/span>From an artistic standpoint, I also wanted the exhibition to be visually interesting <\/span>and<\/span> eclectic by including<\/span> objects <\/span>featuring<\/span> a range of media. With all of these considerations in mind<\/span>,<\/span> I <\/span>hoped<\/span> the end result might be something which lent itself well to a<\/span>n <\/span>extensive <\/span>and inclusive <\/span>audienc<\/span>e and <\/span>hoped the show<\/span> might <\/span>provide<\/span> \u201csomething for everyone\u201d so to speak.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Israeli, Reb Shalom of Safed, Jonah and the Whale, twentieth century, print: color lithograph, 17.8. x 21.9. Gift of Meyer P. and Vivian O. Potamkin, 1989.1.67.\u00a0<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Your exhibit<\/span><\/b>ion,<\/span><\/b> Imagining the D<\/span><\/i><\/b>i<\/span><\/i><\/b>vine<\/span><\/i><\/b>,<\/span><\/i><\/b> was unfortunately bisected by student\u2019s departure from campus due to <\/span><\/b>the C<\/span><\/b>ovid<\/span><\/b>-19 pandemic<\/span><\/b>. The <\/span><\/b>show<\/span><\/b> is up for another <\/span><\/b>two weeks<\/span><\/b>, what do you think students <\/span><\/b>and staff <\/span><\/b>on campus can<\/span><\/b> gain from visiting<\/span><\/b>?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>There\u2019s <\/span>so much to be gained from visiting a gallery exhibit. Social distancing actually presents a <\/span>nice<\/span> opportunity to look more closely at the objects and have a sort of private viewing of exhibition<\/span>s since Covid-19 restrictions require fewer people in the space<\/span>. Also, in such a stressful time, viewing art can be incredibly therapeutic. Since many students are stuck in a fairly small space either in a dorm room or apartment and are restricted to campus<\/span> activities<\/span>, visiting an art exhibition would be a fun change of <\/span>scenery<\/span> and change of <\/span>pace<\/span>. We\u2019re very lucky to have such a great art museum at Dickinson and there\u2019s no better time to take advantage of the opportunity. I <\/span>also think viewing art in person is <\/span>crucial<\/span> because you can\u2019t possibly grasp an object\u2019s power by simply viewing it on your phone or computer screen. For me at least, art has an intangible energy and presence which <\/span>you<\/span> can only properly appreciate when in the same physical space as <\/span>the<\/span> objec<\/span>t<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Balinese, Monkey King Sugriva, Hanuman, and Monkey Warrior, twentieth century, shadow puppets: hide, string, sticks, hair, 24 x 8 x 0.75 in. (60.9 x 20.3 x 1.9 cm). Gift of Joseph Ellis, 1985.8.19.5, 4, 16.\u00a0<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Do you have a favorite piece in the exhibition, or would that be an oversimplification of your relationship with the objects? I believe the clich\u00e9 question is if you could own one of the pieces which would it be?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This is a difficult question to answer because every piece in the exhibition is so interesting and I have such a deep connection to all of them, having spent so much time choosing each one individually and having taken so much time <\/span>during<\/span> the research process to uncover all the secrets they held. <\/span>If<\/span> you count the Balinese Ramayana shadow puppets as one <\/span>collective <\/span>piece<\/span>,<\/span> there are <\/span>seventeen<\/span> objects in <\/span>this<\/span> exhibition,<\/span> and<\/span> I could definitely <\/span>answer this question <\/span>seventeen<\/span> different ways.<\/span> So, I\u2019ll say that <\/span>ONE<\/span> of <\/span>my favorite piece<\/span>s<\/span> in the show <\/span>is the Thai <\/span>T<\/span>eapot<\/span>.<\/span> I<\/span>t was the first that I picked for the final object list in the exhibition. The process <\/span>of<\/span> deciding which objects to include in the show was long and more involved than people might realize. I had to delve into the online database and look through the nearly 10,000 objects we have in the Trout Gallery\u2019s permanent collection. Once I had some objects in mind<\/span>,<\/span> I <\/span>looked<\/span> at<\/span> them <\/span>in-person <\/span>with Jamie<\/span> (The Trout Gallery Collections Manager)<\/span> in the vaults to see if they were right for the show. <\/span>One day after<\/span> examining all the objects I\u2019d selected to view<\/span>, <\/span>I spotted th<\/span>e Thai teapot<\/span> sitting on <\/span>a<\/span> shelf<\/span> across <\/span>the<\/span> room<\/span> in the lower vault<\/span>. <\/span>I was astounded by how vibrant<\/span> it was and was curious <\/span>to learn about the <\/span>stories <\/span>and<\/span> beliefs it represented. <\/span>It was love at first sight<\/span>,<\/span> and I knew immediately that I wanted to include the piece in the exhibition. <\/span>It\u2019s <\/span>also one of my favorite objects in the show because it <\/span>beautifully <\/span>embodies the complex nature of religious expression<\/span>,<\/span> and more specifically, the fascinating syncretism of Hindu and Buddhist traditions found in Thailand. Though the vast majority of the population identifies as Buddhist, many individuals have shrines to Hindu deities in their homes, pray to Hindu gods, and perform Hindu rituals<\/span>, and one <\/span>can even find Buddhist temples adorned with images of Hindu gods. The motifs depicted on this teapot are drawn from Buddhist mythology, <\/span>but<\/span> some of the figures are Thai adaptations of Hindu figures. I love <\/span>every object in the show for a variety of reasons, but the Thai teapot has a special place in my heart.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Thai, Teapot with Hindu or Buddhist figures, nineteenth century, metal and ceramicware: brass and porcelain, 10.8 in. (27.3 cm). Gift of Mrs. Lloyd Gamble Cole, 1967.1.14a, b.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Did curating this exhibit impact or shape any of your postgrad career desires?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Curating this exhibition definitely reaffirmed my love for the study of religion<\/span>. I<\/span>deally<\/span>,<\/span> I\u2019d like to continue learning and exploring my passion for the subject in graduate school<\/span> someday<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Photo of Abbie Cottle<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What was your original vision for the exhibition, Imagining The Divine: Religious Mythology and Art?\u00a0 I first started to think about this exhibition during my junior year and from the beginning I knew I wanted the show to focus on some aspect of religion. Since I\u2019m a religion and archaeology double major I felt the … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4322,"featured_media":918,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[301782,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-916","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-artful-conversations","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/trouttalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/916","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/trouttalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/trouttalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/trouttalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4322"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/trouttalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=916"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/trouttalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/916\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1002,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/trouttalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/916\/revisions\/1002"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/trouttalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/918"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/trouttalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=916"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/trouttalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=916"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/trouttalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=916"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}