Encountering the Sacred Image: A Two-Day International Symposium
This October, the Icon Museum and Study Center in Clinton, MA, is holding a two-day international symposium and a collaborative icon exhibition. The event is titled “Encountering the Sacred Image: Highlights from the Icon Museum and Study Center.” It will take place at the museum at 203 Union Street, Clinton, MA, on October 15 and 16.
Encountering the Sacred Image: Symposium Highlights
The symposium’s premise is quite unusual, with its organizers departing from the traditional approach of building the program around a specific theme or period. Instead, the museum has invited leading iconographers and specialists from around the globe to examine works from its own permanent collection. The symposium will showcase Greek and Russian icons that have rarely been published or examined in depth by scholars. Each speaker will focus on one work or a small group of works and present their research on it. The presentations will serve as the foundation for a forthcoming museum catalog, providing new insights into the history of Orthodox iconography.
The project bears some resemblance to Oleg Kushnirskiy’s icon catalog, which offers insightful researcher commentary along with high-resolution icon images.
Simon Morsink, the museum’s executive director, opens the symposium on Thursday afternoon, giving the floor to Lutz Rickelt of the Ikonen-Museum Recklinghausen, who explores two panels attributed to Matteo da Chio. Irina Shalina of the State Russian Museum presents three works, including the icon of Saint John the Forerunner from a Deesis tier and a February calendar icon. Justin Willson of Yale University will deliver his presentation on The Life-Giving Spring by Franghias Kavertzas.
Friday’s events are scheduled from morning to late afternoon, including presentations by Eva Haustein-Bartsch, Aleksandr Preobrazhensky, Maria Vassilaki, and Wendy Salmond. In the afternoon, Athanasios Semoglou, Natalia Komashko, Evan Freeman, and Elliot Mackin will share their research findings.
Russian Icon Collection at the Symposium
Ilya Kushnirskiy, Director of Russian Icon Collection, plans to use this unique opportunity to meet with icon scholars, curators, and collectors who rarely have the chance to gather under one roof. The two-day format of the symposium also allows plenty of time for valuable conversations between sessions and during the Thursday evening reception. Ilya will attend the symposium on both days to connect with fellow professionals and friends in the field.
Attendance Rules
Everyone interested in the serious exploration of Greek and Russian icons is invited to register for participation in the Sacred Image Symposium. Registration is required, with tickets costing $185 for non-members and $150 for museum members.