By Rachel Foster
CCC Journalism Program
BLACKWOOD – Applying for funding from the New Jersey Council for the Humanities, securing support from the college foundation and coordinating with five speakers from a variety of different universities seems like a large amount of work, but Dr. Joshua Roberson,a history professor at Camden County College, managed to complete all of these tasks.
Gods and Demons in Maya Art will take place in Civic Hall in the Connector Building. By Rachel Foster, CCC Journalism Program
One of the expert speakers that Roberson got in contact with is Dr. Bryan Just, a curator and lecturer in the Art of the Ancient Americas at Princeton University. Just will be visiting Camden County College on April 10 to give a presentation in the Museum Diaries: Archaeology and Anthropology through the Curator’s Eyeseries. Just’s presentation, titled Gods and Demons in Maya Art: Selections from the Princeton University Art Museum, will explore the inner workings of the ancient Maya and how they viewed the world.
“I’ll be giving a basic introduction to whom and what and where the Maya civilization was, but then I really want to explore their ideas of … a sacred world,” Just said.
Don’t worry if you think that ancient Maya history is not something that you would be interested in at first glance. Just believes that this presentation will appeal to a wide variety of people.
“I think it might also pose some interesting questions to students who are interested in comparative studying of religions. It’s also useful to anyone interested in anthropology, a study of different cultures, but also I’m an art historian primarily, and so I think it’s also interesting for those who are interested in art,” Just said.
Along with Just’s presentation on Maya art, he will also be leading a tour at the Princeton University Museum, where examples of art from his lecture can be found.
As to if Just will be back at Camden County College after this presentation, Roberson stated, “Who can say what the future holds? For the current engagement, Dr. Just will only be coming to CCC for this lecture but we would, of course, love to have him back, if the opportunity arises.”
The Gods and Demons in Maya Art: Selections from the Princeton University Art Museum presentation will take place at 7 p.m. on April 10 in Civic Hall in the Connector Building at the Blackwood campus. The event is free of charge, but registration is required. Details can be found at http://www.camdencc.edu/civiccenter/Lectures-and-Events.cfm . For more information about this event contact Barbara Palmer at bpalmer@camdencc.edu or call 856-227-7200, ext. 4333.
