Shabti Refrains

Goucher College is proud to present "Shabti Refrains," a solo exhibition by artist Jackie Milad, opening September 12, 2025 in the Silber Gallery. Known for her vibrant, multilayered collages that interrogate cultural hybridity and historical fragmentation, Milad deepens her investigation into ancient Egyptian funerary practices and the global dispersal of cultural heritage.

At the center of the exhibition is Milad’s engagement with shabti dolls—small funerary figures placed in tombs to serve the deceased in the afterlife. Combining newly created sculptures, expansive wall collages, drawings, and photographs, Milad reimagines these figures as both witnesses to and symbols of cultural displacement. Working with Goucher’s own collection of shabtis alongside crafted stand-ins in bronze, epoxy resin, ceramic, and wood, she overwhelms the gallery space with installations that echo the sheer scale of historical dispersal: an untold number of shabtis scattered across 350 museums worldwide.

The shabti sculptures anchors the exhibition, accompanied by monumental wall collages up to 11 feet wide. Visitors are invited to directly engage with selected sculptures in special programming events, emphasizing embodied encounters with historical artifacts.

Milad’s book, supported by the Rubys Artist Grant and Creative Capital, will be released for the exhibition. Featuring essays by leading Egyptologists, the publication will be available in English and Arabic, highlighting issues of cultural stewardship, colonial-era museum practices, and repatriation.

"Shabti Refrains" not only revives ancient voices but calls into question the contemporary politics of collecting, display, and belonging.

For press inquiries or further information, please contact [email protected].

1021 Dulaney Valley Rd, Baltimore, MD 21204

Events

Opening Reception and Book Signing:

September 12, 4 - 8 pm

Curator’s Tour:

October 5, 3 - 4 pm

Artist Talk and Book Signing:

October 12, 6 - 8 pm

Art History Lecture:

The Art of the Afterlife in Ancient Egyptian Art

October 19, 3 - 4:30 pm

Host or Publisher Goucher Art Galleries