The Art of the Party in Ancient Greece and Rome

Saturday, April 25, 2026, 10:00 AM – Monday, May 03, 2027, 5:00 PM

Focus Gallery, Ancient, Asian, and Islamic Art Gallery, 2nd Floor

A vessel with two column-like handles has ornamental patterns around the neck and on the wide, flattened rim. The scene on the visible side of the bowl's body depicts two young men reclining on couches and a stand woman playing an oboe-like instrument. — Greek, **Red-Figure Mixing Bowl (Column-Krater) with Symposium Scene**, 450–430 BCE. Terracotta and added color, 15 × 13 13/16 × 11 3/4 in. (38.1 × 35.1 × 29.8 cm). Museum purchase with funds from Dietrich von Bothmer and the Thomas T. Solley Endowed Fund for the Curator of Ancient Art, 2005, Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2005.1

The Art of the Party in Ancient Greece and Rome highlights the work of fifteen first-year undergraduates, who will develop an exhibition under the guidance of Julie Van Voorhis (Professor of Art History) and Juliet Graver Istrabadi (Curator of Ancient Art). As they prepare, the students study ancient dining vessels from the Eskenazi Museum collection, as well as works of art that depict food and social gatherings.

This innovative "Concept to Exhibition" course will be taught in the spring semester of 2026 as part of the College of Arts and Sciences' Arts and Sciences Undergraduate Research Experience Program (ASURE). The resulting exhibition will be mounted within the same semester with the support of museum staff.

Plan to visit the exhibition to consider food, wine, and ancient art from new perspectives!

The Art of the Party in Ancient Greece and Rome

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