image of a piece of artwork entitled “prayer nut“. Ancient carving in a nut shell. Banner for Barbara Boehm “In a Nutshell: Mystery and Meaning in Miniature Boxwood Carvings“

Barbara Boehm "In a Nutshell: Mystery and Meaning in Miniature Boxwood Carvings"

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Lecture Open to Faculty/Staff Open to Students Open to the Public

Tue, Apr 21, 2026

5 PM – 6 PM EDT (GMT-4)

VAC, VAC Beam

Visual Arts Center

Details

This lecture celebrates intricately carved boxwood treasures created in the Netherlands at the dawn of the 16th century. Conceived at the intersection of artistic innovation and faith tradition, they present a world of wonders “in a nutshell.” Here we see the drama of sacred history unfold on a miniature stage, where, contrary to all logic, the minute magnifies our sense of the miraculous. Barbara Boehm is an emerita curator from the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

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Co-hosted with: Bowdoin College Museum of Art, History, Religion, Visual Arts