In the Spring of 2010, IMI-VCAW launched a lecture series at both USC and the J. Paul Getty Museum:
- March 12, 2015
- The Colors of Imperial Rome
- Introductory lecture on color on ancient sculpture by Prof. John Pollini, Department of Art History, USC.
- “Ancient Polychromy and Colorizing the Virginia Caligula: A University-Museum Collaborative Project” by Dr. Peter Schertz, Jack and Mary Ann Frable Curator of Ancient Art, The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, VA.
- “The Arch of Titus: Polychromy, Exhibition, and the Experience of the Flavian Triumphus” by Dr. Steven Fine, Pinkhos Churgin Professor of Jewish History, Yeshiva University, New York, NY.
- The Colors of Imperial Rome
- November 28, 2012
- “Ornaments and Amulets: Ancient Carved Ambers for Women, by Women?” by Dr. Faya Causey, Head of the Academic Programs Department at the National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.
- April 19, 2011
- “A Newly Discovered Near Eastern Type of Palace of the Hyksos Khayan in Avaris” by Prof. Emeritus Dr. Manfred Bietak, Department of Egyptology, University of Vienna, and Director Emeritus of the Austrian Archaeological Institute in Cairo (1973-2009).
- April 18, 2011
- “Recent Excavations in Egypt: The Harbors of Avaris, Peru-Nefer, and Pi-Ramesse in the Eastern Nile Delta” by Prof. Emeritus Dr. Manfred Bietak, Department of Egyptology, University of Vienna, and Director Emeritus of the Austrian Archaeological Institute in Cairo (1973-2009).
- November 13, 2010 and February 18, 2011
- International Kucha and the Silk Road Symposium in collaboration with Prof. Sonya Lee, Department of Art History at USC.
- April 8, 2010
- “Mérida: The Archaeological Discovery of Augusta Emerita, a Roman Capital in Spain” by Dr. Trinidad Nogales Basarrate, Curator-Director of Research at the National Museum of Roman Art, Mérida, Spain.
- April 7, 2010
- “The Image of Roman Hispania: From the Past to the Present” by Dr. Trinidad Nogales Basarrate, Curator-Director of Research at the National Museum of Roman Art, Mérida, Spain.
- March 22, 2010
- “Greek Potters in Society: From Status and Gender to Marketing and Migration” by Dr. Dyfri Williams, Research Keeper of Greek and Roman Antiquities at the British Museum, Keeper Emeritus of Greek and Roman Antiquities at the British Museum, and J. Paul Getty Museum Visiting Scholar.
- March 8, 2010
- “The Parthenon Sculptures: Ownership, Display and Understanding” by Dr. Dyfri Williams, Research Keeper of Greek and Roman Antiquities at the British Museum, Keeper Emeritus of Greek and Roman Antiquities at the British Museum, and J. Paul Getty Museum Visiting Scholar.
IMI-VCAW Mission Statement
IMI’s VCAW Initiative, overseen by Professor John Pollini, is dedicated to museological education and research involving the ancient cultures of the Old World, New World, and Asia. Participating in VCAW are several institutions in the Los Angeles area: the International Museum Institute at the University of Southern California, the Cotsen Institute of Archaeology at the University of California at Los Angeles, the Getty ResearchInstitute, the J. Paul Getty Museum, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the Natural History Museum in Los Angeles.
As there is often a disconnect between museums and academia, the mission of VCAW-IMI is to bring together these two educational spheres by promoting collaborative planning of a variety of projects and activities in the form of lectures, conferences, seminars, and exhibitions as a means of exploring globally a wide range of issues of common interest pertaining to the study of the ancient world. Among the topics of interest are new directions in archaeology; the study of comparative archaeology and culture; cultural patrimony and appropriation; the use and misuse of archaeology in political and religious agendas; the role of archaeology in conflict resolution; the image of antiquity as it is perceived and projected by cinema, TV, and other media; the history of collecting and display; historic preservation and conservation; and the application of new technologies in archaeology.