Seattle at the Center of the Silk Road
Apart from the University of Washington, which is bringing you Silk Road Seattle, and the Seattle Symphony, which is bringing you Yo-Yo Ma's Silk Road Project, here are two other major contributors with resources to satisfy your curiosity about the cultures of the Silk Road.
Seattle Public Library
Music of the Silk Road. A Sampling of Material in the Library Related to Music from the Silk Road.
Children's Books on the Silk Road. An annotated guide compiled by children's librarian Ann Dalton.
Seattle Art Museum/Seattle Asian Art Museum, Volunteer Park.
Timeless Grandeur: Art from China, an ongoing exhibition of works from the permanent collection including superb sculptures, ritual bronze vessels, ceramics, and paintings. Some favorite Tang ceramics of camels, guardian figures and a woman on horseback are Silk Road highlights. The gallery for Buddhist art documents early and lasting implact in China from this religion introduced via the Silk Road.
Wonders of Clay and Fire: Chinese Ceramics through the Ages, an ongoing exhibition. This comprehensive survey of Chinese ceramic history from the 6th millennium B.C. to the 15th century A.D. is represented by nearly three hundred stunning examples from two major private collections. The collection of Jiurutang, Hall of Nine Fulfillment's, is a first-rate assemblage of Chinese ceramics prior to the 15th century. The collection of Jinglexuan, Studio of Serene Pleasure, concentrates on objects from the 11th to the 15th century, when China became synonymous with porcelain.
Note that in addition to these exhibitions and much more wonderful Asian art in SAAM, Volunteer Park, SAM downtown also has on permanent display a range of Asian and Middle Eastern art which is directly related to the Silk Road.
Art of the Silk Road, a virtual (on-line) art exhibition created with the support of the Simpson Center for the Humanities at the University of Washington and curated by John Szostak. The exhibition highlights the permanent collection of the Seattle Art Museum and includes as well many stunning objects from some of the other great museums of the world. Internet technology allows easy access to maps and information about the cultural context for the art and visual comparison of the objects themselves. The exhibition will continue indefinitely as part of the Seattle Art Museum's commitment to electronic resources for learning about art. Once you have seen the material on the Web, you surely will want to visit the museum; when you return from your visit there, you can learn more about your favorite items and ones like them.