CINCINNATI – The reinstallation of the Cincinnati Art Museum’s permanent collection of Western antiquities will be unveiled in new first floor galleries on Oct. 3. To celebrate the reopening, Cincinnati Digs!, an event sponsored by University of Cincinnati Departments of Classics and Anthropology, Cincinnati Art Museum and AIA: Cincinnati Society, will take place on Oct. 3 at 12 p.m. at the Cincinnati Art Museum.

This exciting reinstallation and re-imagination of the ancient world allows visitors to begin their journey through the history of art with the story of ancient Western civilizations with Egyptian, Greek, and Roman objects that are organized thematically for the first time. The installation includes some pieces that have never been on view before.

The new, larger gallery spaces present an opportunity for a new interpretation of these ancient works. In addition, state-of-the-art interactive touch tables, funded by Harry and Ann Santen and created by Paperplane Creative and Clifton Labs, will enable the visitor to experience the ancient world through 21st century technology. Antiquities include 134 objects "from the dawn of civilization.” Iconic pieces, such as an ancient Egyptian mummy, an imposing Greek funerary lion, as well as Greek and Roman items from the daily life, will be on view.

Located in the new Sherie and Len Marek Family Gallery and Millard F. Rogers Jr. Gallery, this installation is adjacent to the Rosenthal Education Center (REC). Open every day, the REC provides engaging and changing interactive activities for families. In celebration of this reinstallation, the new theme for the REC beginning in October is “The Ancient World.”

This reinstallation of antiquities was a joint project with University of Cincinnati’s Department of Classics, led by Dr. Kathleen Lynch, an award-winning Classical Archaeologist, who has worked on sites in Italy, Greece, Albania, and Turkey. Dr. Lynch and her team of professors and students researched the collection, created themes, and wrote labels in collaboration with Cincinnati Art Museum staff.

“Working with CAM has provided our Classics graduate and undergraduate students an opportunity to share their passion and expertise about the ancient world with a new audience,” said Dr. Lynch. “Our team of students learned from CAM staff how to present ancient art and artifacts in ways that would engage audiences of different age and interest levels. Those skills will be very useful in our teaching and future outreach activities.” Dr. Lynch hopes this is the first of many collaborations in the future.

“We are very pleased to present to our visitors creative and exciting new galleries exploring the history of Egyptian, Greek, and Roman art at the Cincinnati Art Museum,” said Cameron Kitchin, the Louis and Louise Dieterle Nippert Director of the Cincinnati Art Museum. “Our partnership with the University of Cincinnati has been a wonderful undertaking and I am grateful for their deep commitment to learning. Based on our deep collections, the museum’s new antiquities galleries will prove educational both for the youngest students and for antiquities scholars.”

Cincinnati Digs!, an event sponsored by University of Cincinnati Departments of Classics and Anthropology, Cincinnati Art Museum and AIA: Cincinnati Society, will take place on Oct. 3 at 12 p.m. at the Cincinnati Art Museum. Free and open to the public, the event will include gallery talks and family-friendly activities related to archaeology and the ancient world. In addition, local archaeologists will offer short presentations about their excavation experiences, designed to pique older students' and adults' interest in participation in excavations locally and abroad. For more, visit https://www.archaeological.org/events/19141

About the University of Cincinnati Classics Department

From its nineteenth century roots as traditional Departments of Greek and Latin, the University of Cincinnati Department of Classics has blossomed into one of the most distinguished and distinctive in the world, with a rich and fascinating history. Thirteen full-time faculty members specialize in Classical philology, ancient history, and archaeology, including Greek prehistory. About thirty-five graduate students are in residence at any given time, while others spend a year or more abroad to study or conduct research. The heart of the Department is the recently renovated Burnam Classical Library, the world's most comprehensive library for advanced research in Classics. Learn more about UC Classics at classics.uc.edu.

About the Cincinnati Art Museum

The Cincinnati Art Museum is supported by the generosity of individuals and businesses that give annually to ArtsWave. The Ohio Arts Council helps fund the Cincinnati Art Museum with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans. The Cincinnati Art Museum gratefully acknowledges operating support from the City of Cincinnati, as well as our members.

General admission to the Cincinnati Art Museum is always free. The museum is open Tuesday – Sunday, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. and is closed Monday.