Boca Raton Museum of Art: Machu Picchu

Boca Raton Museum of Art - MUSE

MACHU PICCHU AND THE GOLDEN EMPIRES OF PERU

By Lisa Ray

There are special times when the clouds part and the sun shines and the stars align. Board Chair Jody Harrison Grass and Executive Director Irvin Lippman felt this moment when they heard of this exhibition coming available from the Museo Larco in Lima, with its renowned collection of Andean treasure, and that the larger theme would be a look at Machu Picchu, one of the the most original and unique cultural landscapes in the world. Machu Picchu is one of the marvels of the modern world. The great Inca citadel nestles among the mountains of the sacred Valley in Cuzco, Peru. An environment of enormous biodiversity with impressive structures built nearly 600 years ago by the Inca Pachacuti. The deep understanding of agriculture where many communities started to live permanently together near this cultivated area to share in knowledge and collective work are shown in the art and monumental architecture where they performed their ceremonies. South Florida has the largest population of Peruvian people in the United States today and their heritage is celebrated within this nearly 5000 year old Andean empire treasured collect. Represented are the complex societies of South America - Chavin, Anzac, Lambayeque, Chimu, and Inca.

During the pandemic the historical site of Machu Picchu was closed to the public which gave a unique opportunity to fly a drone and camera over the site to create a virtual reality tour of this Inca citadel. In the Wolgin Education Center located in the Boca Raton Museum of Art visitors can sit in cinematic motion chairs with headsets and enjoy the virtual reality journey from high above where the condors and macaws fly free. The feeling of the power and grace as well as the vital source of these Andean cultures contained in these sacred spaces is tangible to the viewer.

The entire museum is dedicated to the exhibition. The full immersion will transport visitors to the jewel of the only cradle of civilization in the Southern Hemisphere, the Incan city of Machu Picchu. With over 192 artifacts from royal tombs that include pieces from royalty and one of the most impressive collections of gold treasures ever to tour the world. Out of the cloud forest this land was taken over by the surrounding forestry for nearly 500 years. The sophistication and storytelling of the pieces trace ancestors and the mysteries of belief systems of the Andean cosmology.

The Boca Raton Museum of Art and their exhibition programming contains continuing education series with conversations that matter in biodiversity and conservation , searching for the origins of prehispanic goldsmiths, Samorning art (smART) for children, and lectures based around the understanding of the Art of the Ancient Andes. Reservations are required to attend the ongoing programs at the museum located in Mizner Park Boca Raton, FL. You can register for events such as the Gala Dinner, Annual Museum Art Festival, Bijoux Contemporary at boca museum.org/events.