Objects of Power

The French philosopher Michel Foucault suggests that "power is everywhere." In an exhibition curated by the University of Vermont's Museum Anthropology class, notions of power and identity are considered through a selection of objects from the Fleming Museum, a number of which are exhibited for the first time. Power and identity are revealed here in both common and unexpected ways, through objects that reflect belief systems, express status, and mark geography. Power and identity can be assumed, expressed, imposed, granted, and denied through material culture, from weapons and regalia to jewelry, maps, and religious artifacts. Identity, it seems, can be ambiguous, and power, fleeting.