Cosmogonic Tattoos, Kelsey Museum of Archaeology, 2017

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In celebration of the University of Michigan’s Bicentennial in 2017, artist and distinguished U–M art professor Jim Cogswell was invited to create a series of public installations in response to the holdings of the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology. For this visionary project, the artist adhered a procession of vivid images to the glass walls of the museums in a rhythmically evocative narrative, based on reassembled fragments from a diverse range of artworks in the museum’s permanent collection. The juxtaposed images address our shared histories and experiences while connecting the viewer to the origins and meaning of objects and their power to shape knowledge, memory, and identity. By leveraging the building’s unique architecture, the artist expands our understanding of a museum as a cultural repository and highlights the significant role of these institutions in the life of the campus community.