Presentation Schedule
Beast to Beauty to Burden: An Ecocritical Approach to Exhibiting Elephant Ivory, Rhinoceros Horn, and Tortoiseshell in Museums (100690)
Session Chair: Dao Rina
Sunday, 10 May 2026 13:25
Session: Session 2
Room: Room G405 (4F)
Presentation Type: Oral Presentation
For centuries, elephant ivories, rhinoceros horns, and tortoiseshells have been desired by the wealthy around the world as raw materials to create luxury objects. When the costs to the wildlife populations of elephants, rhinoceros, and marine turtles proved too high, all three materials were banned for art use in the 20th century. Meanwhile, society’s evolving relationships to the environment have put into question the continued existence of historical artworks and commodity objects made of these animal materials in museum collections worldwide. In the Fall of 2026, the Walters Art Museum (Baltimore, Maryland) will pioneer an exhibition that examines these artistic practices through a three-pronged ecocritical approach: by scrutinizing their historical appeal, wildlife impact, and contemporary responses. For each of the three materials, remarkable examples of artworks and objects will be featured to discuss the historical and cultural context of their appeal. The resulting adverse impact to the wildlife populations of elephants, rhinoceros, and marine turtles will be graphically presented to visitors. The exhibition commences with polyvocal responses to these practices, including those from contemporary artists, conservation scientists, and animal activists, that testify to society’s changing relationships to animals. The exhibition serves as a proof of concept that historical art and objects made from animal materials deserve to remain in museum collections because they have the capacity to engage with an evolving public. Its ecocritical framework also serves as a working model for other museums to approach their respective collections of ivories, horns, and shells.
Authors:
Dany Chan, The Walters Art Museum, United States
About the Presenter(s)
Ms Dany Chan is a currently at The Walters Art Museum in United States
Connect on Linkedin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/danychan/
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