Cantor Arts Center presents Ruth K. Franklin Lectures on Shamanism in New World Art and Visionary Aspects of Shamanism

Stanford, CA, March 8, 2004—The Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University presents two Ruth K. Franklin Lectures focusing on “The Shamanic World-View: Arts of the Americas,” on May 26, 2004, from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Bishop Auditorium in the Graduate School of Business. Shamanism is the world's oldest religion and continues to be practiced in many places around the world. The public is welcome to the lectures. Admission is free, with open seating.

This year's Ruth K. Franklin program includes talks by two distinguished scholars. Armand J. Labbé, Director of Research and Collections at the Bowers Museum of Cultural Art, Santa Ana, California, will discuss "Precolumbian Shamanism in Cross-Cultural Perspective." Dr. Michael Harner, Director of the Foundation for Shamanic Studies, Mill Valley, California, will speak on "Visionary Aspects of Shamanism," considering practices in the Americas, Siberia, and other parts of Asia. For information, call 650-725-3155.

Ruth Franklin was the first Phyllis Wattis Curator for the Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas at the Cantor Arts Center. Just prior to her retirement and her untimely death in 2000, she assisted in selecting Manuel Jordán Pérez as the next Wattis Curator. Franklin's curatorial work for the Center significantly strengthened the collection and program in her field. In 2002, an anonymous donor established the Ruth K. Franklin Fund for Lectures and Symposia in the arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas. Memorial gifts from numerous donors also support the Franklin Fund, which will make possible an annual lecture or symposium in perpetuity. The Center presented the first Ruth K. Franklin Symposium in 2003 and this year the Center presents the first Ruth K. Franklin Lectures.

SHAMANIC ART EXHIBITION
An exhibition entitled "The Shamanic World-View: Arts of the Americas" opens to the public on the day of the Ruth K. Franklin Lectures and continues through September 26, 2004. Comprised of approximately 50 objects primarily from the Center's collection, the exhibition focuses on Shamanic art forms that most clearly reflect the world-view of indigenous Americans, especially objects associated with ceremonies of initiation, death, healing, war, and the shaman's journey to the Spirit World. Admission to the exhibition is free.

VISITOR INFORMATION
The Cantor Arts Center is open Wednesday–Sunday, 11 a.m.–5 p.m., Thursday until 8 p.m. The Center is open Independence Day, July 4th. Admission to the Center is free. The Center is located on the Stanford University campus off Palm Drive. Call 650-723-4177 for directions, parking instructions, and information about events, free tours, and exhibitions in the Center’s 24 galleries.