Manual 18: Nature
“In our [Chamoru] culture, inafa’maolek is our most important value. It roughly translates as ‘to make good for each other.’ Inafa’maolek teaches us that all things are connected and related, including people, environments, and all species. Because all things are interwoven, we must always act with guinaiya and respetu, love and respect.” —Craig Santos Perez, introduction
Manual 18 explores human interactions with the natural world, from frank awe and deep appreciation of the immediate moment to eternal questions and ancient unfinished business. This issue of Manual complements the exhibition Being and Believing in the Natural World, co-curated by Gina Borromeo, Wai Yee Chiong, and Sháńdíín Brown, on view at the RISD Museum now through May 7, 2023.
From the Files
Brianna Turner protects the protector through conservation analysis of a carving of Vishnu
Double Takes
Josiah Luis Alderete and Stephen Parman stare right back at an Aztec spider monkey
Gina Borromeo and Wai Yee Chiong rattle a sistrum in honor of the bovine deity Hathor
Benedict Gagliardi and Paola Demattè sing the praises of a Chinese lei vessel embellished with cicadas
Object Lessons
Sháńdíín Brown reflects on how Diné innovation and self-reliance shine in a silver squash-blossom necklace
Jen Thum ponders the nature of authenticity as she uncovers the secrets of an ancient ibis mummy
Phillip E. Bloom explains how a vivid depiction of Buddha worked to assemble the spirits of water and land
Artists on Art
k. funmilayo aileru declares It Was Not a Fight, It Was a Massacre
Melanie Yazzie walks in beauty
Portfolio
A natural progression of works from the collection
How To
Carmen Arnold-Biucchi pays attention to the animal symbolism on ancient Greek coins
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The RISD Museum is supported by a grant from the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, through an appropriation by the Rhode Island General Assembly and a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, and with the generous partnership of the Rhode Island School of Design, its Board of Trustees, and Museum Governors. Additional generous support for this issue of Manual is provided by the RISD Museum Associates and Sotheby’s.
