Art-Making Activity: Make a Mandala
Mandala comes from the classical Indian language Sanskrit. Loosely translated, the word means circle, but a mandala has symbolic meaning as well. The shape of a mandala is circular and… Read More
Suggested Reading List: Belief Systems
NOMA’s Learning and Engagement staff suggests the following books related to themes of belief systems. In partnership with Octavia Books, links are provided to purchase these titles through this independent… Read More
Object Lesson: Trivar, Ghats by Linnaeus Tripe
As a captain in the East India Company army, Linnaeus Tripe produced some of the earliest photographs of India and Burma in the 1850s. Many of his photographs were ultimately set into a series of lavish bound albums that comprised a visual survey of these locations. Read More
Object Lesson: The Faith Healer by Karl Struss
Karl Struss was an active member of the pictorialist photography community, which favored soft, dark, and carefully crafted prints. The Faith Healer is a kind of film still on the set of the 1921 silent movie, now lost. Read More
Object Lesson: Albumen print, Grotto of Massabielle in Lourdes, France
A visitor to the shrine at Lourdes could purchase a photograph as a souvenir, or such images could order one from a photographer’s catalog without ever making the pilgrimage. For a person of faith, viewing this photograph in an album or on the mantle could call up feelings of hope and reverence across time and space. Read More
Object Lesson: Man Soaking Bread at Water Pump by Roman Vishniac
In 1935, Roman Vishniac was hired by the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, a leading humanitarian assistance organization, to photograph Jewish communities throughout Eastern Europe. Over the next few… Read More