Exploring Race Through Ancient Greek Art – The Oberlin Review

On Nov. 10, the Allen Memorial Art Museum hosted its monthly Tuesday Tea presentation, this time highlighting ancient Greece, mythology, drinking practices, and relics that expose modern ideas of race and community.

Curator of Academic Programs Emily French led the talk, gathering together the community of Oberlin to examine the focal piece of art, a double-sided cup known for holding wine at Greek symposiums. In her talk, aptly entitled “Faces of an Ancient Greek Drinking Cup,” French unpacked how the fifth-century BCE cup, with one side displaying an African man and the other a satyr (a mythological creature known for their overindulgence of wine), can “allow us to open up conversations” on modern ideas of race and ancient culture.

Getting the cup to the Allen, on loan from the Cleveland Museum of Art, was a conversation years in the making.

“Seth Pevnick, the curator of Greek and Roman art at the CMA, reached out … a couple of years ago about us loaning them our kylix (a Greek wine-drinking cup) for an exhibition on ancient Greek artists,” French wrote in an email to The Oberlin Review. “This is a really important piece in our collection and was very prominently displayed, so the CMA proposed a reciprocal loan.”

French, along with Marlise Brown, the Allen’s associate curator of European and American art, researched the museum’s Greek and Roman collection and found pieces they were interested in borrowing, eventually settling on the kantharos. The piece goes further than just being a vessel for wine-drinking, though.

“It’s also a really fascinating artwork that can speak to many different topics — mythology, social dynamics, drinking culture, and race in antiquity,” French also wrote. “These are topics that I think a lot of people are interested in, and particularly the issue of race in antiquity is a really hot-button topic right now.”

When beginning her talk, French also commented on the misconceptions of cultural differences in ancient times, and how we perceive them.

“White supremacists too often look to ancient [Greece] and Rome to justify their hate,” she wrote. “Talking about this cup felt like a great opportunity to highlight what we do know about how skin color was understood in antiquity and also to share the really fascinating things this cup can tell us that aren’t rooted in racism. I hope attendees took away a new appreciation for cups like this one, but also some tools to combat false narratives about the Greek and Roman past. ”

When asked why she thought museums were important to communities, French shared that they are vital in fostering important conversations through art and analyzing misconceptions throughout history.

“I think the Allen’s curators are really great about not only sharing information, but raising questions for our audiences,” she wrote. “Museums should be spaces for conversation as well as learning. … I think the Allen is important for the Oberlin community because we have such a great collection that can raise so many of these conversations, and speak to issues we’re facing currently.”

Moreover, French’s work as a curator aids in bringing these discussions to classes, and helping faculty to add the Allen into their syllabi. This work includes meeting with faculty to plan class visits to the museum, as well as co-facilitating regular class sessions.

“Normally, our two student assistants, my colleague Fiona Giménez-Collins, [OC ’25], and I prepare research to help us achieve the course’s goals and open up discussion,” she wrote, doting on the amount of disciplines the museum works with. “Last year, 45 different departments engaged with the museum, and we used artworks from all across the collection.”

Overall, French hopes that the Allen is seen as a place of gathering, connection, and conversation. Events like Tuesday Tea, which encourage more active community and College engagement with its pieces, strive to make that goal come true.