Featuring Elizabeth Irene Pope, PhD, Art Institute of Chicago
7:00-8:00 pm: Lecture followed by Q&A
The Maya people of Central America have long been recognized as expert astronomers who closely tracked and documented celestial bodies. This was not only for scientific inquiry but also reflects an understanding of the night sky as a celestial realm displaying a narrative of the creation of the cosmos.
Using immersive planetarium visuals, this program will present Maya depictions of the night sky and explore how the creation of the cosmos revealed in the sky formed a connection between the human world and supernatural realms.
The Webster Lecture is free but requires an advanced ticket reservation. Tickets will be available online beginning Thursday, February 27. Limited two tickets per guest.
Elizabeth Pope, Collection Manager and Research Associate in the Department of the Arts of Africa and the Americas at the Art Institute of Chicago, is a specialist in pre-Columbian Mesoamerican art, architecture, and ritual performance with a particular focus on the cosmology of the ancient Maya.
The Webster Memorial Lecture, which explores connections between archeology and astronomy, is presented each year in collaboration with the Archeological Institute of America.
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