Events

Glimpses of Eternity: Icons in the Orthodox World brings to Carleton a fascinating group of icons and other religious objects drawn from Russian, Greek, Ethiopian, and Coptic Orthodox traditions. A rich history of thematic developments and cultural variations is told through the exhibition curated by Professor William North specifically for Carleton's Perlman Teaching Museum. Exhibited work comes from the private icon collection of Emmanuel and Argie Tiliakos (Winchester, MA) and Carleton’s Special Collections, offering visitors a unique opportunity to learn about Orthodox visual culture and devotion through objects seldom on view.

In support of the Perlman's mission as a teaching museum, students participating in Professor North's Fall 2017 class Icons, Iconoclasm, and the Quest for the Holy in Byzantium and Its Neighbors have contributed to the exhibition's development and didactic presentation.

An icon (from the Greek term for 'image') is a work of religious art — most commonly a painting of a holy figure or figures. Particularly associated with Orthodox Christian traditions, icons are regarded principally as religious rather than art objects and they hold a special place in private and public devotions in the Orthodox worlds. Because their function was much more important than the individual identities of the artists who made them, their creators are seldom known. Icons have exalted status because they aid faithful individuals in communing with the divine and gaining, if only for a moment, a glimpse of eternity.