Opening Reception: Visions of the Nazca

The exhibition presents a group of pre-Columbian ceramic items curated from the Carter Collection, which is held at the FSU Museum of Fine Arts for the Anthropology Department. The 29 selected ceramic objects were produced by the Nazca civilization which flourished between the first and seventh centuries AD on the southern coast of Peru. Nazca pottery features stunning naturalistic and mythological designs on thin-walled vessels in a variety of shapes.  In researching the materials, the students are focusing on the evolution of Nazca ceramics over time, as well as the cultural and religious significance of the painted motifs.

The Carter Collection was donated to the Department of Anthropology by John and Mary Carter in 1944 and includes a variety of objects from various Andean ancient cultures.