Volunteer Chair Shelagh Barrington attended the Oct 30 symposium on the new Small Wonders boxwood miniatures exhibition.    She reports her experience:

I wanted you to know how much I enjoyed, Sunday’s all day, ticketed event: The Small Wonders Symposium, an exploration of the Thomson Boxwood Prayer Beads, in support of the AGO’s  Small Wonders: Gothic Boxwood Miniatures running  November 5, 2016 – January 22, 2017.

It was an illuminating day (10am to 4pm) filled with interesting information about the material (such as the small bush used extensively in formal gardens), the ideas behind the creative process and the relevance of these medieval objects in today’s world. We learned about technological innovations that allowed a photograph to show the back panel segment of the bead as clearly as the front segment; travel bags filled with innovative equipment were carried through many countries and museums to photograph each object using identical parameters. Computer gaming science was the basis for a virtual reality tour that allowed participants to walk through the segments that form the prayer bead.

Through the collaboration of many both here at the AGO and experts from abroad, the wonderful conclusion is a beautifully installed exhibition of small articles in a spacious and well lit environment, which allow all of us a new way to appreciate and share with our visitors Ken Thomson’s gift of precious miniature sculptures. The guiding vision behind this marvellous exhibition is our own Alexandra (Sasha) Suda, R. Fraser Curator, European Art & R. Fraser Chair, Print & Drawing Council.

If you have never attended a symposium at the AGO I can verify that the dollars you spend are very good value. They even provided a very nice brown bag lunch from our own café!

NOTE: For any of those interested in these amazing objects and were unable to attend the Symposium I highly recommend the small but information packed exhibition guide, Small Wonders Gothic Boxwood Miniatures edited by Lisa Ellis and Alexandra Suda and available in the AGO retail shop