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Artist: Unknown
Culture: Gravettian culture of the Upper Paleolithic

Date: 23,000 BCE
Media: Carved into Limestone originally painted with red ocher
Location: Dordogne, France
Description: This 18 inch high carving of a faceless woman shows large breasts, belly and vulva which experts believe represent fertility. The carving comes from Laussel cave in France. Venus of Laussel was carved into a limestone black that fell from the wall, it is one of five carvings found at Laussel. This art is most likely a part of the Gravettian culture of the Upper Paleolithic. You can see that her left hand rests on her belly while the right hand holds a horn with 13 vertical lines carved into it. There are many different theories as to what this carving means. The carving could be representing a Shaman and the horn used for ritual designed to ensure good hunt. Another theory is that the carving is meant to emphasize the woman's role in procreation, with the 13 lines representing the 13 times a woman menstruates a year.

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When you walk into this exhibit you will feel like you are taking a walk back 23,000 BCE. With cave-like wall features and cave sound effects viewers can experience what it feels like to be looking at these artifacts as if they were in their original setting.

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using our high tech virtual reality system you can get a 360 degree view of the Laussel caves! Experience some of the oldest and finest prehistoric art in the world! Get exclusive access to areas of the cave that are shut out from the public and explore these ritualistic shelters where the Venus of Laussel was found. It is important to understand the context of where art came from. While looking around the virtual cave, visitors will also be listening to a virtual tour guide explaining the history and rituals of the Gravettian culture.

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Head over to our Gravettian station to make your own carvings using flint chisels just like the tools expert believed the Venus of Laussel was made with! The hope is that after experiencing using the tools viwer

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Artist: Artisans under Quin Shi Huangdi's Rule
Culture: Chinese
Date: 210 BCE
Location: Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China
Description: Under the rule of the first emperor of China, Quin Shi Huangdi, artisans constructed an army 8,000 terra-cotta soldiers. After he came to the throne at the age of 13 he began overseeing the construction of his protective graveyard containing soldiers, chariots and horses along. It was believed that this army would protect him in the afterlife. The soldiers were created using molds for different body parts which were then pieced together. The details of the face and clothing were put on afterwards with a layer of moist clay. This project continued until the death of the emperor 36 years later. Originally, people believed that the soldiers were just a myth until their miraculous discovery in 1974.

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Around the exhibits there will be cards featuring different photos of the statue army and history of Qin Shi Huangi and his purpose for the army. It is important for viewers to understand the reason behind these soldiers and their cultural and religious implications.

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There will be a video presentation about the discovery of the Terra-Cotta Army. This will give the viewers a bit more insight on the artifacts as they were a huge discovery. The presentation will be a short description of who discovered the soldiers, the excitement behind the adventure of this expedition.

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Not all 8,000 soldiers will be there due to spacing issues, but there will be a variety of soldiers as not all of them held the same poses. The exhibit will also include the horses and chariots found at the site as well as photos of art that depict China's first emperor Qin Shi Huangdi. This will give visitors a closer look at the details of the artifacts as well as a visual representation of who was overseeing the project (the emperor)

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Artist: Unknown
Culture: Mandan Native Americans
Date: 1797-1800
Current Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts
Description: This painted buffalo made by the Mandan Native Americans depicts a battle in 1797 between the Mandan of North Dakota and the Sioux Indians. The painting shows 64 combatant. 24 of them are on horseback. In the painting you can see that spears, bows and arrows, tomahawks and guns are being used. Painted hides such as this are meant to be draped around the shoulders of its wearer, in this case, probably someone important in the battle. Hides were used as a visual piece of story telling. The paintings typically tell a story or have a motif of some kind.

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Surrounding the highlight piece,  "Robe with Battle Scene" there will be other Native American artifacts such as pottery, hunting tools, baskets, blankets and other buffalo hide paintings. The surrounding complimentary pieces will give visitors a better overarching idea of Native American art and gives a bit more context to the highlight piece.

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There will be a "mock TeePee" set up for visitors to walk through and see what a typical Native American home looked like. In the TeePee you will see different cooking tools, hunting tools, musical instruments, clothing and blankets. This will give visitors the opportunity to see how the Mandan people lived and will support the painting by giving visitors a life to put behind the painting.

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In the background there will be traditional Native American music. There will be an interactive wall allowing visitors to see what song is playing, choose a different song to see, and read about the meaning and rituals behind each song. This will give visitors a bit more insight into the Native American culture.

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Provided to YouTube by The Orchard Enterprises Mandan Warrior Song · Keith Bear Earthlodge ℗ 2000 Makoché Music Released on: 2000-07-18 Auto-generated by YouTube.

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Artist: Unknown
Culture: Dogon
Date: Early 20th century
Location: Mali, West Africa
Description: This Kanaga mask made from polychrome wood, leather cords and hide are traditional pieces used for ritualistic purposes in the Dogon culture. The mask is typically worn for a funeral ritual called dama, that is means to assist the deceased in their journey to the spiritual realm. The two cross design is meant to represent the lower earthly realm (lower cross) and the upper cosmic realm (upper cross). The ritual includes loud noises to scare away any souls that are lingering in the village. While it is rare, the ritual is still performed today with the masks.

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Different colors represented different meanings in African culture. Visitors can use the interactive boards to learn about the symbolism of each color and even design their own kente that represents their own story. This will put them through a thinking process that the designers of kente in Africa. This will expose visitors to the African culture at a deeper level.

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In order to support the highlighted piece (Kanaga Mask) other Dogon culture pieces will be included in the exhibit such as a kente, a loom to make a kente, and various different sculpture pieces and tools. This will give visitors a feel of the theme between African art and culture.

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A video presentation of dama that the Dogon of Mali in West Africa perform to assist the deceased in their journey into the spiritual realm. In African culture, the masks are most meaningful while being worn for performances therefore it will be important for visitors to see these performances so they can fully experience the purpose of the masks. The video will also explain further the reason behind the performances and their religious and cultural implications.