Thanks Spencer for calling attention to this case. I sincerely hope that the University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh does not bury skeletal remains from the Indian sub-continent in the middle of Wisconsin. It is worth noting that the original committee report from November 2023 recommended that "the human remains are removed from the exhibit and are transferred to the Office of Repatriation, which will facilitate further non-destructive review." The idea of burying the beautifully crafted exhibition showcase, with the invented Ancient Greek artifacts and the painted trompe l'oiel oak end-panels and faux marble by UT Scene Designer Bob Cothran is a complete mis-application of NAGPRA. These aspects of the exhibition are not funerary objects or cultural items as defined within NAGPRA. The argument that the skeletal remains formed a "spiritual connection" with the showcase is a form of "contagious magic," based on the principle that objects once in physical contact continue to influence each other.
A proposal to create a Centaur 2.0 was something that Provost John Zomchick originally supported. A Centaur 2.0 could address the ethical implications of the display of human remains and the ideological conditions that produce their unethical treatment in the past and today. I made the case that “if the goal is to prevent potential similar situations in the future, a work of art that includes supplementary educational information about its origin story, one that involves being amended to meet these new ethical and scientific standards better serves the educational goals of the university.” Unfortunately, the educational and cultural significance of the Centaur Excavations at Volos is certainly not informing the decisions that have been made regarding this exhibition.
If anyone would like access to the documents that Spencer refers to in this article, please email me. Beauvais Lyons, blyons(at)utk.edu
This is an excellent piece of writing about a (literally and figuratively) fantastic piece of art!
It is a tragedy any time a piece of art is destroyed. However, as you allude to, it does feel quite fitting that this piece, that was clearly meant to be provocative, ended its journey with such an absurd overreach and application of ethical outrage that feel so much "of this specific time". This is so similar to the chiseling off of the genitalia of the great ancient sculptures of Greece because, somehow, an organ that almost half of us have, was so offensive to depict at that moment that the ethical leaders of the time felt compelled to deface beautiful works of art. The difference is that we can still stand in the presence of what remains of those sculptures and appreciate both some semblance of the artists' original intent and contemplate the arrogance of censorship that defaced the pieces, while the Centaur of Volos is likely lost entirely. Only photographs and written pieces like this will remain of it, and these cannot hope to be anywhere near as provocative as original magnificent beast was.
Someday, hopefully soon, people will look back at this tragedy and condemn the fools that were self-righteous enough to permanently impose their puritanical perspective without even considering that these types of ethics ebb and flow generationally. Maybe our society will continue to consider human bones too sacred to incorporate into art - a narrow belief that runs contrary to that of many cultures, including contemporary ones. Or maybe our society will realize that there are literally billions of us that have skeletons that none of us will be using once we are done with them and that the true blasphemy is destroying an amazing piece of art out of assumed outrage on behalf of unknown people that might not have been outraged at all. Only time will tell. Unfortunately, the Centaur of Volos has not survived long enough to let this conversation play out. Hopefully our memory of it does.
Great insights Adam! Thanks for sharing. The powers that be at UT could theoretically call the centaur home if they chose to. I'm hoping there's still time to do that.
Everybody knows what's going to happen in 10,000 years. Committees are committees, whether on earth or in outer space. The intergalactic archeologists are going to cart the Centaur back to their planet and display it prominently in one of the lobbies of their intergalactic university for 30 years without a care in the universe, until the Intergalactic Centaur Review Committee develops an itch that will result in the Centaur being buried on a minor planet in their solar system; a planet coincidently named Wisconsin.
I hope some young socio-cultural anthropologist is writing about the political uses of the dead in contemporary North America. They are the perfect victims on behalf of whom one can build a professional managerial career/crusade: they don't talk back, they don't do anything embarrassing that conflicts with your narrative (except for sometimes have the wrong kind of DNA, but you can do your best -- as in this case -- to prevent anyone from checking. in the name, again, of respect for the dead), they never tell you to shut up you don't speak for them, and they don't talk to one another and have schisms amongst themselves so you can just keep saying you speak for ALL OF THEM, every skeleton everywhere.
It's very Latourian, very actor-network theory, where before you just had yourself suddenly you speak for the microbes and you have to be consulted in all situations involving power and policy: we have this new body of crusader-experts whose constituency is every fucking skeleton they can get their paws on, even the centaurs.
Thanks Spencer for calling attention to this case. I sincerely hope that the University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh does not bury skeletal remains from the Indian sub-continent in the middle of Wisconsin. It is worth noting that the original committee report from November 2023 recommended that "the human remains are removed from the exhibit and are transferred to the Office of Repatriation, which will facilitate further non-destructive review." The idea of burying the beautifully crafted exhibition showcase, with the invented Ancient Greek artifacts and the painted trompe l'oiel oak end-panels and faux marble by UT Scene Designer Bob Cothran is a complete mis-application of NAGPRA. These aspects of the exhibition are not funerary objects or cultural items as defined within NAGPRA. The argument that the skeletal remains formed a "spiritual connection" with the showcase is a form of "contagious magic," based on the principle that objects once in physical contact continue to influence each other.
A proposal to create a Centaur 2.0 was something that Provost John Zomchick originally supported. A Centaur 2.0 could address the ethical implications of the display of human remains and the ideological conditions that produce their unethical treatment in the past and today. I made the case that “if the goal is to prevent potential similar situations in the future, a work of art that includes supplementary educational information about its origin story, one that involves being amended to meet these new ethical and scientific standards better serves the educational goals of the university.” Unfortunately, the educational and cultural significance of the Centaur Excavations at Volos is certainly not informing the decisions that have been made regarding this exhibition.
If anyone would like access to the documents that Spencer refers to in this article, please email me. Beauvais Lyons, blyons(at)utk.edu
This is an excellent piece of writing about a (literally and figuratively) fantastic piece of art!
It is a tragedy any time a piece of art is destroyed. However, as you allude to, it does feel quite fitting that this piece, that was clearly meant to be provocative, ended its journey with such an absurd overreach and application of ethical outrage that feel so much "of this specific time". This is so similar to the chiseling off of the genitalia of the great ancient sculptures of Greece because, somehow, an organ that almost half of us have, was so offensive to depict at that moment that the ethical leaders of the time felt compelled to deface beautiful works of art. The difference is that we can still stand in the presence of what remains of those sculptures and appreciate both some semblance of the artists' original intent and contemplate the arrogance of censorship that defaced the pieces, while the Centaur of Volos is likely lost entirely. Only photographs and written pieces like this will remain of it, and these cannot hope to be anywhere near as provocative as original magnificent beast was.
Someday, hopefully soon, people will look back at this tragedy and condemn the fools that were self-righteous enough to permanently impose their puritanical perspective without even considering that these types of ethics ebb and flow generationally. Maybe our society will continue to consider human bones too sacred to incorporate into art - a narrow belief that runs contrary to that of many cultures, including contemporary ones. Or maybe our society will realize that there are literally billions of us that have skeletons that none of us will be using once we are done with them and that the true blasphemy is destroying an amazing piece of art out of assumed outrage on behalf of unknown people that might not have been outraged at all. Only time will tell. Unfortunately, the Centaur of Volos has not survived long enough to let this conversation play out. Hopefully our memory of it does.
Great insights Adam! Thanks for sharing. The powers that be at UT could theoretically call the centaur home if they chose to. I'm hoping there's still time to do that.
Everybody knows what's going to happen in 10,000 years. Committees are committees, whether on earth or in outer space. The intergalactic archeologists are going to cart the Centaur back to their planet and display it prominently in one of the lobbies of their intergalactic university for 30 years without a care in the universe, until the Intergalactic Centaur Review Committee develops an itch that will result in the Centaur being buried on a minor planet in their solar system; a planet coincidently named Wisconsin.
hahaha
I hope some young socio-cultural anthropologist is writing about the political uses of the dead in contemporary North America. They are the perfect victims on behalf of whom one can build a professional managerial career/crusade: they don't talk back, they don't do anything embarrassing that conflicts with your narrative (except for sometimes have the wrong kind of DNA, but you can do your best -- as in this case -- to prevent anyone from checking. in the name, again, of respect for the dead), they never tell you to shut up you don't speak for them, and they don't talk to one another and have schisms amongst themselves so you can just keep saying you speak for ALL OF THEM, every skeleton everywhere.
It's very Latourian, very actor-network theory, where before you just had yourself suddenly you speak for the microbes and you have to be consulted in all situations involving power and policy: we have this new body of crusader-experts whose constituency is every fucking skeleton they can get their paws on, even the centaurs.
I'm gonna pitch this to a grad student. Great idea.
Yay!
I hope someday to read it
Latour on microbes as sources of political power , the whole framing works for skeletons too