The Jomon period, dated 14,000 B.C. to 400 B.C., is one of the earliest periods of Japanese history and is notable for its pottery, which according to archaeological evidence is some of the earliest known pottery creations in the world. The clay figures created during this period started a rich tradition of depicting the human experience and expressing "beauty, drama, heroism, morality, divinity, [and] hope." The exhibit Strike a Pose will include a 6th century terracotta tomb figure, images of deities that portended good fortune, ideal representations of feminine beauty, and daruma, which are figures that "reduce the human shape to its most elemental forms."
May 26-Sept. 13, 10 a.m., 2009