Lecture | Ancient Colombian Birds: Iconography and Zoology
Colombia, Bird Finial with Beak Ornaments, 200 BC–1000 AD, gold alloy, Museo del Oro, Banco de la República, Bogotá. Photograph: Clark M. Rodríguez, Museo del Oro, Banco de la República, Bogotá.
Christopher Holmes, bird curator, San Diego Zoo
Zulma Vega, artist
Rex Koontz, consulting curator for art of the Indigenous Americas, MFAH
Ancient Colombian Birds: Iconography and Zoology
Ruth K. Shartle Lecture Series
This conversation explores the importance and brilliance of bird iconography in ancient Colombian cultures. The discussion complements the exhibition Golden Worlds: The Portable Universe of Indigenous Colombia.
Speakers
- Christopher Holmes, bird curator at the San Diego Zoo, worked for the Houston Zoo for more than 20 years.
- Zulma Vega, a Houston-based artist, combines manufactured materials with organic ones to address psychological and spiritual matters.
- Introduction by Rex Koontz, consulting curator, art of the Indigenous Americas, MFAH.
Plan Your Visit This program takes place in Brown Auditorium Theater, with seating on a first-come, first-served basis. Admission is free. On Thursdays, the Museum is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Visiting Guidelines In the interest of your personal safety and community health, please observe all precautions set forth by the MFAH—learn more here.
The Ruth K. Shartle Lecture Series is made possible by a generous grant from The Brown Foundation, Inc.
Learning and Interpretation programs receive generous funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services; Samuel H. Kress Foundation; The Brown Foundation, Inc.; Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo; Houston Junior Woman’s Club; Sharon G. Dies; Sterling-Turner Foundation; Susan Vaughan Foundation; and additional generous donors.
General admission to the MFAH is free on Thursdays, courtesy of Shell Oil Company.
“Golden Worlds: The Portable Universe of Indigenous Colombia” was organized by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art; the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; and the Museo del Oro y Unidad de Artes y Otras Colecciones-Banco de la República, Colombia.
This exhibition has been made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy demands wisdom.
This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.
Major support is provided by:
The Glassell Family Foundation
Generous support is provided by:
The Favrot Fund