Tell Me a Story

Tell Me a Story examines the many stories found throughout University Museums collections from fairytales to mythology and creative narratives that continue to fascinate artists working in many media. The objects on view represent a wide array of media, cultures, and time periods in the history of art, further emphasizing the continued use and love of storytelling throughout the world. The art is a visual representation of the narrative, used to reinforce morals, educate, and engage viewers to seek out the various versions of stories that are both familiar and totally unknown. Tell Me a Story demonstrates that despite cultural specificities and differences, storytelling shapes who we are and helps humans understand themselves and the world around them. Featured artists and makers span centuries and continents, from contemporary glass artist Preston Singletary and MacArthur Fellow Joyce J. Scott to legendary San Ildefonso Pueblo potter Maria Martinez and celebrated American illustrator N.C. Wyeth. European decorative arts from renowned manufacturers including Meissen and Wedgwood appear alongside Indigenous storytelling figures, Russian lacquered boxes, contemporary photography, and prints. This is an exhibition you will want to visit again and again, one story at a time.