'Valor on the Wind' exhibit opens Feb. 2 at Lentz Center for Asian Culture

Released on 01/21/2010, at 2:00 AM
Office of University Communications
University of Nebraska–Lincoln

WHEN: Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2010

WHERE: Lentz Center for Asian Culture, 1155 Q Street, Hewit Place, Lower Level

Lincoln, Neb., January 21st, 2010 —
"Horse and Rider," China, Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-220 A.D.), earthenware, Lentz Center for Asian Culture Permanent Collection

"Valor on the Wind: Selected Examples of the Horse in Chinese, Japanese and Tibetan Art" will open Feb. 2 at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Lentz Center for Asian Culture. A First Friday exhibition reception is 5-7:30 p.m. Feb. 5.

The center's winter/spring show will examine the role the horse has played in China, Japan and Tibet through items from Lentz collections and from the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at the University of Oregon in Eugene and the Berea College Museum of Art in Berea, Ky.

"The title 'Valor on the Wind' has been chosen to honor the horse's speed and tractability," said Barbara Chapman Banks, director/curator of the Lentz Center. "The horse has the longest history in China, but horses were important in Japan and Tibet as well."

In Japan, horses were sometimes given to temples as sacrifices. Those who couldn't afford to give a horse often gave "ema" (horse pictures on wooden boards) in place of the real horse. At the time of the samurai the horse developed a special importance in the cult of the warrior. Most prominent in Tibet is the wind-horse which can be seen on prayer flags in the five Buddhist colors. The flag itself is called a wind-horse because prayers are carried on the wind.

The Lentz Center for Asian Culture, 1155 Q St., Hewit Place lower level, is dedicated to the enrichment of knowledge and understanding of Asia and is the only museum in Nebraska devoted solely to Asian art. Its unique collection provides an opportunity for enhancing instructional programs on the UNL campus and enriching the cultural environment of the citizens of the state of Nebraska. It embodies the university's commitment to fostering multicultural understanding through an appreciation of Asian cultures. The Lentz Center is open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Friday; 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturdays; 1:30-4 p.m. Sundays; closed Mondays, UNL holidays and between exhibitions. For more information, telephone (402) 472-5841 or visit www.unl.edu/lentz.

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