Carya: Women, Buildings, Nature: Hellenic Themes, Contemporary Works

This exhibition is part of the College of Human Ecology’s contributions to the celebration of Cornell University’s sesquicentennial. The exhibition was conceived, curated, and to some extent, created by Jack Elliott, associate professor from the Department of Design and Environmental Analysis. The show combines restored pieces from Cornell University’s Plaster Cast Collection with recent sculptures by Professor Elliott that combine contemporary environmental concerns with ancient classical themes. The exhibition is a tracery of creative thought inspired by a tree, its history and its associations with the classical world, leading to a varied but connected set of investigations, from classical orders and gender, to Greek personifications of Nature; from sculptural technique, to the architectural detailing of Martha van Rensselaer Hall.