CU art history students present 'Revealing Disguises' at museum

Richard Kalvar's "Woman in Joke Shop."

"Revealing Disguises -- Building Identity," an exhibition on view at the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art through June 18, explores the nature of disguise and how it serves to create and transform identity across many cultures. Curated by the Cornell Art History Majors' Society, the show includes works on paper, sculpture and decorative arts from Europe, the Americas, Asia and Africa that are drawn from the museum's permanent collection.

As part of its outreach effort, the art history students are presenting a Family Day in the museum Sunday, April 9, from 2 to 4 p.m., which will feature activities and performances for adults and children, including a mask-making workshop and tours of the exhibition. The event is free and open to all.

"Revealing Disguises -- Building Identity" addresses the traditional role of disguise from a nontraditional perspective, making visible its many forms. The show reaches beyond the function of disguise as an intentional concealment to examine its utility as a revelatory and transformative tool in the construction of identity at the individual, cultural and societal levels.

"These art history students did a superb job of planning and developing this exhibition," said Frank Robinson, director of the Johnson Museum. "They have found in these works a connection to many profound questions about identity and self-presentation. I think viewers will find this exhibition a very stimulating one."