The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1907
Accession Number: 07.286.44
Thursday, January 23, 2025
7:30 PM
As an example of experimental archaeology, in 2009, Dr. Schwab and six students collaborated with a professional hairstylist to test whether or not the six Caryatids’ hairstyles could be recreated with a positive result. Tools and hair products, just like today, were important in the domestic sphere. The arrangement of hair became a clear signal of rites of passage and status within the community. Locks of hair were often dedicated in temples or cut before warriors left for battle. Together we will explore a range of ancient Greek hairstyles and their meanings for both individual and society.
About Katherine Schwab
Dr. Katherine Schwab received her B.A. from Scripps College, her M.A. from Southern Methodist University, and her Ph.D. from the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University. She is Professor Emerita of Art History & Visual Culture at Fairfield University, former curator of the Plaster Cast Collection at the Fairfield University Art Museum (1991–2024) and was Founding Director of the Arts Institute established in 2023. While specializing in ancient Greek art and archaeology, her research focuses on the Parthenon sculptural program. Scans of her metope drawings are permanently displayed in the Acropolis Museum. The original drawings formed a traveling exhibition in the United States from 2014 to 2018, including a time at the Timken Museum of Art. Her research extends to the Caryatid Hairstyling Project (film 2009), exhibition Hairstyles of the Classical World, 2015, and historic plaster casts of ancient sculpture. Her drawings and photographs formed three separate exhibitions at the Greek Consulate General in New York City. She has been a member of the Managing Committee of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens and returns annually to Athens for her research. Recently retired, Dr. Schwab resides in San Diego and continues to conduct research in her focus areas.
Tickets: $16/21
The lecture will be in person at the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library. There are no physical tickets for this event. Your name will be on an attendee list at the front door. Doors open at 7 p.m. Seating is first-come; first-served. This event will be presented in compliance with State of California and County of San Diego health regulations as applicable at the time of the lecture.