Domestic Study

The students of the graduate seminar Orientalism/Occidentalism, co-taught by Professors Andrew Shelton and Emily Neumeier, ventured to Indianapolis to discover how threads of Orientalism found unique expression in the United States. Their first stop was the Murat Shrine (b.1909) – a former Shriners temple – built in the style of a medieval Egyptian mosque complex and located in the heart of downtown Indianapolis. Students had the opportunity not only to tour the interior but also to examine the architect's blueprints from the building's archive. The group spent the rest of the day at the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, to investigate to what extent artists translated themes of Orientalist painting to their depictions of American Indians. The students met with one of the museum's curators to discuss how different themes addressed in the course – especially exoticism and the dynamics of power in art – could be introduced in the planned reinstallation of the museum galleries.

 

Domestic Study

 

Domestic Study

 

Domestic Study

 

Domestic Study

 

Domestic Study

 

Domestic Study

 

Domestic Study

 

Domestic Study

 

Domestic Study