August 23 – December 1, 2024
Hirado porcelain bottle-form Vase Japanese, Mikawachi kilns, late Edo/early Meiji period ca. 1865 underglaze cobalt decoration on hard-paste porcelain. Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Eugene Davidson, 2024.5.6 Permanent Collection of Oglethorpe University Museum of Art
This fall, the Oglethorpe University Museum of Art (OUMA) turns its focus eastward, showcasing rare pieces from its permanent collection of objects from the Asian continent. From August 23 to December 1, visitors can enjoy a special selection of artworks from Japan, China, India, and South Korea.
The collection entitled OUMA Collects 2024: Focus on Asia includes a late Edo period Japanese screen of the Kano school, a 19th-century South Korean taenghwa (thangka), a 14th-century Chinese bronze of Pu Hsien/Samantabhadra (known as the All-Good Buddha), and other exquisite objects.
Our newest acquisition, a remarkable 19th-century vase, is one of nineteen Japanese porcelain pieces gifted by Dr. and Mrs. Eugene Davidson. The Davidsons meticulously curated this exceptional collection of Japanese pieces over many years before donating it to the OUMA. This gift aims to benefit students, faculty, staff, and the wider community.
“At OUMA, we use these artworks as educational tools and catalysts for undergraduate research,” says John Daniel Tilford, OUMA’s curator of collections and development associate. “The newly established Museum Studies Minor will also make use of such invaluable donations, with the museum serving as an expanding classroom for future museum professionals.”
In addition to their work, the Davidsons have contributed financially to support the long-term care of the museum’s collection.
OUMA Collects 2024: Focus on Asia was curated by Elizabeth Peterson Jennings, OUMA director, and John Daniel Tilford, OUMA curator of collections and development associate. Support was provided by Noah Dake ’23, interim collections manager and registrar, student exhibition coordinators Rosie Sanon ’25 and Penelope Bertrand ’26, and student gallery assistant Heidi Ullman ’26.