Symposium: Religion, Art, and Provenance in Museums
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October 14 – 16, 2026
University of Chicago | Smart Museum of Art | The Martin Marty Center for the Public Understanding of Religion
The University of Chicago’s Smart Museum of Art and the Martin Marty Center for the Public Understanding of Religion are excited to bring together a group of international experts in provenance research, museum practice, and cultural heritage for the symposium “Religion, Art, and Provenance in Museums.” This symposium is part of a multi-year project supported by Lilly Endowment Inc.
Free and open to the public, this multi-day gathering will feature keynote lectures, panel discussions, and roundtables that explore the lives and afterlives of religious objects within museum collections. Together, participants will engage critical questions around display methodologies, community-engaged scholarship, and ethical policies for restitution and repatriation.
The symposium will feature two keynote lectures by leading voices in the field, offering critical perspectives on the provenance of religious objects and their implications for museum practice, cultural heritage, and public understanding.
Joanna Gohmann | Associate Curator of Provenance Research & Object Histories, Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art
Ciraj Rassool | Senior Professor of History and Director of the African Program in Museum and Heritage Studies, University of the Western Cape
For the full schedule, visit https://smartmuseum.uchicago.edu/events/symposium-religion-art-and-provenance-in-museums/
University of Chicago | Smart Museum of Art | The Martin Marty Center for the Public Understanding of Religion
The University of Chicago’s Smart Museum of Art and the Martin Marty Center for the Public Understanding of Religion are excited to bring together a group of international experts in provenance research, museum practice, and cultural heritage for the symposium “Religion, Art, and Provenance in Museums.” This symposium is part of a multi-year project supported by Lilly Endowment Inc.
Free and open to the public, this multi-day gathering will feature keynote lectures, panel discussions, and roundtables that explore the lives and afterlives of religious objects within museum collections. Together, participants will engage critical questions around display methodologies, community-engaged scholarship, and ethical policies for restitution and repatriation.
The symposium will feature two keynote lectures by leading voices in the field, offering critical perspectives on the provenance of religious objects and their implications for museum practice, cultural heritage, and public understanding.
Joanna Gohmann | Associate Curator of Provenance Research & Object Histories, Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art
Ciraj Rassool | Senior Professor of History and Director of the African Program in Museum and Heritage Studies, University of the Western Cape
For the full schedule, visit https://smartmuseum.uchicago.edu/events/symposium-religion-art-and-provenance-in-museums/
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Where is it happening?
1025 E 58th St, Chicago, IL 60637-1509, United States
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
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Host or PublisherSmart Museum of Art
