The Ancient Artifacts Abroad exhibit at the Springfield Art Museum will be open to the public between December 9, 2023, and June 16, 2024.
The objects in this special exhibition are travelers – across both time and space. These artifacts, drawn from the Museum’s permanent collection, either come from, or were inspired by, items from the ancient Mediterranean world. Ancient Artifacts Abroad considers how and why objects moved around in antiquity and also how they traversed social, cultural, and religious spaces over time.
The exhibition’s title seeks to "flip the script" by reminding visitors that these artifacts are in fact “abroad,” having been brought to Springfield from their original landscapes. This is the first time many of these artifacts have been on display at the Museum.
Missouri State University students contributed to artifact research and the exhibition’s curation, under the guidance of Missouri State University Professors Dr. Julia Troche (Associate Professor, Department of History) and Dr. Bryan Brinkman (Assistant Professor, Department of Languages, Cultures, and Religions), with direction from the Museum’s curatorial and education staff.
Dr. Julia Troche
Dr. Julia Troche is currently the director of undergraduate studies and teaches in the Department of History at Missouri State University. She specializes in courses on ancient Egypt, the ancient Near East, archaeology and ancient history, world history, and sometimes Middle Egyptian hieroglyphs. She co-founded both the American Research Center in Egypt, Missouri Chapter (where she serves as vice president) and the annual Missouri Egyptological Symposium.
Dr. Bryan Brinkman
Dr. Bryan Brinkman is an assistant professor in the Department of Languages, Cultures, and Religions at Missouri State University. He is a specialist on the history of the ancient world whose research focuses on issues of “mass communication” in antiquity.
