Exhibit Details
September 16, 2017 - February 11, 2018
Opening Reception: September 15, 5:30 - 7:00 p.m.
Weisel and Kelly Galleries
Modern day museums developed out of two apparently basic aspects of human nature - our curiosity and our desire to collect. Early collections were arranged and contained within private homes in rooms referred to as cabinets. These collections usually included a wide range of objects from taxidermy to paintings and sculpture. As their popularity grew, these rooms were called wonder or curiosity cabinets, from the German wunderkammer.
Wonder Rooms examines the human desire to collect, with a specific focus on private collections in Southwest Missouri, in order to discover the underlying stories and driving impulses behind collecting. The exhibit will present representative works from ten local collections, and will feature a wide range of media arranged in cabinets or 'rooms,' including ceramics, photography, outsider art, local art, furniture, prints and drawings.