MUSEUM OF CL ASS ICAL ARCHAEOLOGY
Classically BEAUTIFUL IT MIGHT BE TRICKY TO FIND, BUT A TRIP TO CAMBRIDGE’S MUSEUM OF CLASSICAL ARCHAEOLOGY IS WELL WORTH THE EFFORT, AS RUTHIE COLLINS DISCOVERS
Archaeology, is a chronological tour of 1000 years of art history at your feet. “It’s amazing to think that the original sculptures differ from the casts by just one millimetre. Yes, marble is difficult to replicate, but here, you can see how sculpture has changed over time, in one room, which is really special,” says Susanne. Go hunting for casts of famous sculptures, such as the painted Peplos Kore, or the first ever full-sized female nude statue, sculpted in the fourth century BC, of Aphrodite – a favourite of classicist Mary Beard. On show until 13 December is a fantastic exhibition, Goddesses , from New Zealand contemporary artist Marian Maguire. “It is a real pleasure to host work by Marian Maguire again. Not only are her lithographs beautiful – and this series, Goddesses , is really no exception to that rule – but there is a playfulness and nuance to her retellings of ancient myth, which is just a joy. And yet, there’s also a fierceness to the eye she casts on the past: her goddesses, reassessing their place in the world and empowered to change themselves and what they see around them, feel especially timely,” says Susanne. The show is a collection of five eye-catching etchings that explore how ancient Olympian goddesses may respond to modern life – from climate change and #metoo to war. What would they do, if they could do things differently? “We create gods in our own image. They reflect us: sometimes at our best, sometimes at
love my babies,” curator Dr Susanne Turner beams, when discussing the Museum of Classical Archaeology’s collection
of plaster casts of classical sculpture, over 450 of which are on display to the public. “The word curator comes from Latin, ‘curor’ – to care; and part of my job is creating relationships between objects and people,” she explains. “I love how the public can come into the museum, see me, speak to me... it’s unusual for a museum curator to be so available.” Tucked away above the Faculty of Classics on Sidgwick Avenue, MOCA is the smallest of the nine University of Cambridge Museums, and is a space that can sometimes be missed. “You deserve a gold medal for finding us,” laughs Susanne, who has been working at the Museum since 2013, but also worked as an invigilator at the site while studying for her PhD at the Faculty of Classics. It’s a small team, whose forward- thinking programme of contemporary art exhibitions, talks, school visits, tours and workshops has helped attract 15,000 visitors a year, and the museum prides itself on making this largest surviving collection of Greek and Roman plaster casts accessible to visitors. “We try to give a warm welcome, we’re relaxed and really care about our visitors’ needs. It’s all about finding those points of connection, about storytelling.” Original classical sculpture is not always easy to visit – but here, walking around the Museum of Classical
ABOVE AND RIGHT The museum houses a collection of 450 casts of classical sculptures BELOW Marian Maguire’s etching of Hera
“You can see how sculpture has changed over time”
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