Surprises Abound at University of Richmond's Lora Robins Gallery
July 9, 2002
Where are a 165-million-year-old fossil of an ichthyosaur from England, a 2,400-carat blue topaz from Brazil and an intricately carved alabaster model of India's Taj Mahal on display, all under one roof?
The University of Richmond's Lora Robins Gallery of Design from Nature features those treasures and 22 other objects of art and artifacts from nature, in its 25th anniversary exhibit, now through Oct. 20.
The museum was founded in 1977 by Mrs. Lora M. Robins, wife of E. Claiborne Robins. It originally housed a variety of minerals, decorative arts and shell specimens donated by Mrs. Robins. It moved to a wing of Boatwright Memorial Library in 1989 and became part of the University Museums department in 2000. Since joining the department, the gallery has begun an extensive changing exhibition program and is conducting research on the permanent collection.
In its 25th anniversary year, the gallery boasts more than 100,000 items that help fill more than 100 permanent display cases, including gems, minerals, fluorescent rocks, geodes, fossils, shells, corals, ceramics, jewelry, glassware, sculpture, porcelains, ancient coins, decorative arts and much more.
It attracts about 5,000 visitors a year, according to according to Elizabeth Schlatter, assistant director, including many elementary and middle school classes and some high school students. College professors also send both their science and fine arts students to complete credit assignments based on the collection.
"But like many university and college museums, Schlatter says, "it tends to be overlooked in favor of major city museums." That oversight is a shame, she says, "because many of these museums and galleries tend to be smaller and can offer a more intimate and personalized experience." And since their exhibits "tend to be more education focused, they can offer a more richly textured experience than the average 'blockbuster' exhibition."
Visitor comments range from, "My favorite part was the giant amethyst," to "Gosh, you don't see shells like these on the beaches anymore," to "I would like to thank you for making science fun."
The ichthyosaur, by the way, is a Jurassic Period "fish lizard"-an air breathing sea creature whose speed made it a great hunter of squid. It became extinct just prior to the rise of dinosaurs during the Cretaceous Period, about 90 million years ago.
"Most museums focus on one or two types of things," says Richard Waller, executive director of the university's several museums and art galleries. "We have all kinds of things that tend to surprise visitors," such as a three-foot, 150-pound Australian clam shell.
"Anytime we do an exhibit, it amazes me when we come up with such depth of objects."
The Taj Mahal replica, representing the decorative arts section in the exhibit, was carved in the mid-1970s by direct descendents of the craftsmen who built the original building in Agra, India, in the early 17th century.
From Africa comes an unusually decorated mancala game board. In mancala, one of the world's oldest games, players take turns "sowing" seeds on the board and trying to capture seeds from their opponent.
A six-foot-long carved rosewood log from China depicts 18 human figures and numerous animals and dragons.
Jewelry in the exhibit includes an 1875 Russian brooch with 97 rose-cut diamonds and a stunning necklace from India containing 55 emeralds and 81 diamonds.
A pair of "Mute Swans" represents the museum's renowned Edward Marshall Boehm porcelain collection. The limited edition piece is a replica of the Boehm sculpture commissioned by former President Nixon as a gift to Chairman MaoTse-Tung of China in 1972.
The gallery's hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday-Friday and 1-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Admission is free and open to the public For further information, call the University Museums information line at (804) 289-8276.