26 The Display Case
Provided that Greece does not want the objects repatriated, we decided to propose a new storage method for them. Here is our proposal to the Classics department:
From 1949 to 1983, Harry J. Carroll Jr. was a Professor of Classics at Pomona College, teaching ancient Greek and Roman art and archeology. During this same time, a collection of ancient pottery accumulated in the basement of Pearsons, home to the Pomona College Department of Classics. Now colloquially referred to as the “Drawer,” the entire collection of ethically dubious origins was left in a wooden drawer. Found in a storage room in the Pearsons basement, the corresponding cabinet of the Drawer remains unknown. Besides modern pen markings on the pottery itself, little is known about the pieces or their provenance. A collection of Carroll’s books were found in the “Book Room” in the lounge of Walker Hall, a dorm of Pomona’s North Campus, which includes books on excavation sites. These books might give more context into Carroll’s travels throughout Europe and where these items might have been taken.
As Carroll’s successors in the Classics department, it is our collective responsibility to ensure that the pottery sherds are handled and stored with the highest standards of care and respect. Through these sherds, we believe there is educational value in teaching students the challenges of working with items whose provenance was either mistakenly or deliberately erased. To this end, a display case for the sherds, a selection of his books, and educational graphics we created would be ideal. The display itself will feature the sherds, Carroll’s books corresponding to the marked locations on some of the sherds, as well as a QR code linking to our press book.
Here (click here) is the display case that we find to be most fitting. It is pictured on the left. Alternatively, there is this much larger vertical case. The first one costs $1,680.99; the second one costs $1999.99. It might be fitting to explore furniture stores for cheaper alternatives in similar styles.
Please see below a graphic rendition of where we plan on placing it in Pearsons. There is so much educational value in sharing the sherds, best practices, and why this collection represents problematic mindsets historically enmeshed with archaeology. Hopefully, this will inform visitors of the Pearsons lounge for years to come. We hope the Classics department will consider funding this project.