Art Of The Matter: Cat Mummies
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tarting this year, Shawnee Outlook will bring readers a glimpse into Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art’s offerings and feature a project for them to try at home. For more information about the museum and its programs, visit mgmoa.org or call (405) 878-5300. Do you know that there is a mummified cat at the Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art right here in Shawnee? A real mummified cat thousands of years old. The ancient Egyptians had some traditions that seem pretty crazy to us but were very important to them. One of these traditions was the mummification of animals, and cats were the most popular. These animals are called votive animals. You can learn more about them at mgmoa-gallery.com/ votive-animals. There may have been a million cat mummies in Egypt. The ancient Egyptians greatly revered cats and raised them to honor the cat goddess Bastet (learn more about Bastet at mgmoa-gallery.com/ bastet). You can see X-rays of the mummified cat at mgmoa-gallery. com/animal-x-rays. Your art project this month is about the importance of cats to ancient Egyptian culture and introduces you to some ancient Egyptian decorations. Don’t forget to take a picture of your artwork and share it on social media with hashtag #MGMOAart.
Instructions This is a fun project that can be made with many different styles and materials. Your only limitation is your imagination. We started with a blank piece of white paper on which we drew an outline of our cat. You can download the outline of the cat at mgmoa. org/art-projects along with some ancient Egyptian decorations that you can print and color or paint. After you have drawn the outline of the cat, it is time to decorate. Use your imagination and choose colors you like. You can add detail to the cat or color it all one color. Be sure to add some fun color to the band around its neck. Do not be afraid to add glitter, rhinestone or anything else you can think of. You can use a black crayon or black marker to outline the cat and its eyes, legs and tail. While the cat is drying, it is time to prepare the background. Find or make a paper color you like and think about how you want to decorate it in anticipation of adding the cat. You can search the internet to find traditional Egyptian motifs. You can add hieroglyphics or your own creations. Do not forget to add lots of color. After the background is done, it is time to cut out the cat along the black outline. Place the cat on your background and find the perfect place to glue it down. Once you are happy with your placement, glue the cat to the background. That’s it. You’ve created a beautiful Egyptian cat artwork to hang up.
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