Resources for the Assyrian Reliefs

Museum of Art Museum of Art

Resources for the Assyrian Reliefs

Here we have collected several resources related to the Museum's reliefs that we hope will prove useful to visitors, researchers, and everyone interested in learning more about these works.

Publications

A selected bibliography →
created for the Palace Reliefs from Kalhu (Nimrud) exhibition (October 2017)

Presentations

  • Reconsidering Iraqi Cultural Heritage: A Conversation with Dr. Abdulameer Al-HamdaniA conversation with Dr. Abdulameer Al-Hamdani, archaeologist and former Iraq Minister of Culture about the past, present, and future of cultural heritage in Iraq and the connections between Iraqi histories and identities today. Dr. Hamdani shares with us updates on the state of cultural heritage and museums in Iraq, and insights into the role of digital approaches to protecting and preserving Iraqi history. Sean P. Burrus, Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Curatorial Fellow, Bowdoin College Museum of Art moderates. April 8, 2021.
  • Art Up Close at the BCMA: The Assyrian Reliefs and RepatriationLucy Siegel ’22 introduces the subject of the Assyrian reliefs and repatriation in Episode 5 of "Art Up Close at the BCMA," series of bite-sized conversations aimed at connecting students with works in the collection of the Bowdoin College Museum of Art. Presented on December 9, 2020.
  • The Ballad of Special Ops Cody: Film Screening with the Artist Michael Rakowitz. Michael Rakowitz is an Iraqi-American artist whose conceptual projects, sculptures, and public art installations prompt us to think critically about issues of cultural heritage and connections between past and present in the Middle East. His 2017 stop-motion film "The Ballad of Special Ops Cody," filmed at the Oriental Institute at the University of Chicago, meditates on the experience of war and the real human and cultural costs of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, has been on view at the BCMA as part of the exhibition Assyria to America. The artist recently joined Sean P. Burrus (Andrew W. Mellon Post-doctoral Curatorial Fellow, Bowdoin College Museum of Art) and Sarah Graff (Associate Curator, Department of Ancient Near Eastern Art at The Metropolitan Museum of Art) for a conversation about the film and his practice as a contemporary artist. December 8, 2020.
  • Extended Conversation: “The Ballad of Special Ops Cody” with Artist Michael Rakowitz. December 8, 2020.
  • Recovering Nimrud: Smithsonian’s Projects in Iraq. Jessica S. Johnson, head of conservation at the Smithsonian’s Museum Conservation Institute and Corine Wegener, director of the Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative. April 6, 2020, Bowdoin College
  • From the Court at Nimrud to the Halls of Bowdoin: Assyrian Art and its American ReceptionsJames Higginbotham, associate professor of classics and associate curator for the ancient collection and Sean P. Burrus, Andrew W. Mellon postdoctoral curatorial fellow, discuss Bowdoin’s Assyrian reliefs, their long journey to the Museum, and their ancient and modern contexts in the Northwest Palace at Nimrud. Presented in conjunction with the opening of the exhibition Assyria to America at the Bowdoin College Museum of Art. October 24, 2019, Bowdoin College
  • Saving Cultural Heritage: From Haiti to Mosul. Richard Kurin, Smithsonian Distinguished Scholar and Ambassador-at-Large. March 6, 2018, Bowdoin College
  • The Sack of a Palace: Reading Assyrian Reliefs - James A. Higginbotham. December 2007, Bowdoin College Museum of Art - Gallery Talks

Educational Resources

Exhibitions