CHALLENGE:
Divine and Human: Women in Ancient Mexico and Peru is a traveling exhibition of more than 400 archaeological treasures from the unparalleled museum collections of Mexico and Peru. The objects comprising this exhibition include sculptures, textiles, pottery, jewelry, and grave goods, which attest to the powerful, but often overlooked, roles women played in both the daily and spiritual life of their respective societies. It was organized by INAH/CONACULTA (Mexico) and the Ministry of Education of Peru. First Ladies Mrs. Marta Sahagún de Fox and Dr. Eliane Karp de Toledo conceived it as an important vehicle for cultural exchange. First Lady Laura Bush, along with Mrs. Fox and Dr. Karp, was an honorary co-chair of the exhibition in D.C. NMWA is the exclusive United States venue for this exhibition.  

SCOPE OF WORK:
Divine and Human: Women in Ancient Mexico and Peru is organized into seven sections Society, Politics, and Religion; Sacred Origins of Food; Textiles and Clothing; Physical Ornamentation; Magic and the Occult; Daily Life and Its Origins; and Goddesses.

SurroundArt was responsible for logistical liaison with the organizers in Mexico and Peru; development and production of didactics/graphics package; adaptation of exhibit furniture and mounts to US standards; production of new cases and mounts as necessary; bilingual supervision of installation/handling staff; adaptation of design to NMWA space, including installation, lighting, etc.; registrarial services; logistical support with Masterpiece International, Ltd. and Air Ride; and climate control transport of artifacts and empty crate storage.

To contain costs, use was made of the Mexican/Peruvian cases, design, etc. Using the existing didactic/graphics package, the exhibit was given contextualization to be accessible to US visitors. SurroundArt developed and produced an introductory panel/wall text about the concept, maps, timelines, as well as seven section text panels. An installation plan was adapted to the museum's galleries, including modifications to the cases and mounts coming from Mexico, as well as fabrication of new ones. Redundancies were edited.

Concerning packing and shipping arrangements, SurroundArt provided oversight of NMWA interests. A representative of SurroundArt was present to oversee the work and coordinate the Mexican and Peruvian staff upon arrival at NMWA.

Working with an extremely tight deadline, this exhibition was on schedule and within budget.