“Ravens: Spirits of the Sky” will transform the American University Museum’s Long Gallery into an aviary. Featuring never-before-exhibited artworks, the show is comprised entirely of 22 metal and glass raven sculptures inspired by the bird’s appearance in world mythology.
Ravens have earned a comfortable place in literature, where they often symbolize grief, death and other bad omens, famously in Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Raven” and Shakespeare’s “Macbeth.” But, their allegorical appearance comes even earlier in world mythology.
“Snow Crystal Raven” references a Native American myth that expresses reverence and thankfulness to the Great Spirit. In Native American legend, the raven was originally white and sacrificed its beautiful snowy feathers to bring light to the humans who lived in darkness.
“Smoky Raven” demonstrates ‘lift’ in the bird’s preparation for flight. Colorful and predatory, “Amethyst Raven with Frog” depicts a raven gripping a frog in its beak. The iridescent violets and yellow glass contrast to express the struggle of life and death. The ravens are captured in various poses, including flight, with three of the sculptures suspended from the ceiling.
“My sculptures merge narrative imagery and symbolism to create a personal mythology,” she said “Ravens are powerful symbols to me associated with intelligence, transformation, prophecy and death. They are not just creations of the sky, they are woven into myth, folklore and science. My soaring ravens, wings outstretched, invite us inward to project ourselves outwards.”
This exhibition runs concurrent with The Magical World of Joan Danziger.
