Mar 15 2005
ContinuedClick here to return to page one and read about exhibitions focusing on a Victorian wedding and two centuries of Chinese wedding traditions.
A Bride in Rural Morocco focuses on the bridal adornment of Amazigh women in rural Morocco. More commonly known as Berber, they are the indigenous inhabitants of Morocco and other northern African countries. The highlight of this exhibition is a complete marriage dress ensemble, with a colorful red headdress and jewelry of silver and amber. Objects from the bridal trousseau, including jewelry, hand-dyed textiles and a wooden marriage chest, are also featured. A video recording taken of a recent Moroccan wedding offers a glimpse into this unique ceremony. A Bride in Rural Morocco has been organized by Dr. Christa Clarke, Curator of Africa, the Americas and the Pacific, with the assistance of Dr. Cynthia Becker, Assistant Professor of Art History, University of St. Thomas, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Valrae Reynolds has also organized the two exhibitions, Queen for a Day: Korean Bridal Traditions and A Bride in Old Japan. The fine robes, crowns, gifts and paintings used in nineteenth-and early-twentieth century Korean weddings are presented in Queen for a Day: Korean Bridal Traditions. A bride and groom’s crowns and gowns, a delicate wedding screen, lovely textiles made by a bride-to-be for her dowry, and special gifts, such as carved ducks, chests and embroidered cloths, complete the scene of a traditional Korean wedding.
The importance of sipping sake at a traditional Shinto wedding is obvious to anyone viewing A Bride in Old Japan. A set of fine gold and red lacquer sake cups and a sake ewer used in a wedding ceremony are displayed in a classical Japanese setting, along with a finely embroidered nineteenth-century wedding Kimono and an ornate silk wrapping cloth for a wedding gift.
The Newark Museum, located at 49 Washington Street in Downtown/Arts District of Newark, New Jersey, is currently open Wednesdays through Fridays, from noon to 5 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Suggested admission: Adults,$5.00; Children, Seniors and Students, $2.00. Attended parking is available for a fee in the adjacent lot. For general information, call 973-596-6550 or visit their Web site, .
