Preview of the Mummy Exhibit at the Cincinnati Museum Center

Christina Wald and Amy Bogard

Amy Bogard and I recently had the opportunity to preview the new Mummy exhibit at the Cincinnati Museum Center.

We brought our sketchbooks along (well yes, they are always with us actually) There was a lot to choose from and we have sketched at the Museum Center a couple times before.  The exhibit focuses on mummification around the world and the science of decomposition in addition to the expected Egyptian mummies.

Some aspects of the exhibit are very moving. It is amazing how quickly we return to the decayed leaf litter when we die. Everything goes back to the dust it arose from ( Carl Sagan said "we are all star stuff" which is a much prettier way to say that.)

There are also cadavers used for scientific study in the show. We have a couple medical illustrators who come to the illustrators lunch occasionally and one recently brought pictures of a cadaver arm she drew from for a project. They made me think of her and the tradition of Leonardo Da Vinci. Although oddly we did not sketch that part of the show.

The creepiest part of the exhibit are the shrunken heads; definitely examples of the darker circumstances of death.

Anyway, here are some of the exhibits we did sketch from...

Sketch by Amy Bogard

This was in the shrunken head room.

Perhaps the creepiest photo of the day of Christina Wald sketching

Final shrunken head sketch by Christina Wald

  Here are some sketches Amy did of natural mummification of a child found in Peru.

Pages from Amy Bogard's aketchbook

Amy Bogard's final sketch

The main Egyptian Mummy room by Chrisitna Wald

We sketched a lot there but added color when we got home. It was too dark in the exhibit to paint. It is an amazing place to sketch though. The act of studying and drawing makes the experience stick with you.

Sketch by Christina Wald

Check out Amy Bogard's post here: http://www.amybogard.com/2014/11/24/on-liminality/

Amy also does an amazing sketch journal workshop in Taos, New Mexico every June. It is amazing! I hope to go again some year...

http://www.amybogard.com/taos-new-mexico/

We are looking for more indoor places to sketch for the winter. Ideas? 

Thanks to WCPO Insider for the free tickets for this post c/o (courtesy of WCPO Insider).