This display is a tribute to Syrian artistry, creative triumphs, and cultural heritage. Featured objects include Syrian clothing dating from the 19th century to mid-20th century, musical instruments, painted and inlaid boxes, traditional cookie molds, coffee pots, contemporary glassworks handmade in Damascus in 2017, and more.
Since 2011, Syria has been plagued by conflict and civil war leading to a current humanitarian crisis. All over the news, we see images of devastated ruins of what were once thriving cities and cultural centers such as Aleppo, Homs, Kobane, and others; images and stories of unfathomable human suffering. But this is not the only side of Syria. Pointing to the country’s artistic traditions and cultural and religious diversity, the Museum of International Folk Art will display and highlight its collection of Syrian folk art in Lloyd’s Treasure Chest.
Lloyd’s Treasure Chest is named for the gallery’s benefactor, the late Lloyd Cotsen, former CEO of the Neutrogena Corporation. In 1995, Cotsen and the Neutrogena Corporation donated the Neutrogena Gallery, Lloyd’s Treasure Chest, a state-of-the-art storage facility, and an important collection of international folk art. Lloyd’s Treasure Chest is an open storage concept gallery that allows visitors to view collections objects that are not on view in the museum’s formal exhibitions. In addition to the gallery being a place where visitors can explore the meaning of folk art, collections items are rotated from storage into thematic displays set in the Treasure Chest.
This thematic display, Artistic Heritage: Syrian Folk Art is presented in collaboration with the New Mexico History Museum their upcoming exhibition, Syria: Cultural Patrimony under Threat, opening June 23, 2017. June 4 is the first Sunday of the month, admission is free for New Mexico residents; youth 16 and under and members of the Museum of New Mexico Foundation are always free!
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