Across the States with Southeast Asia's Rock Art
My Experience as a Lecturer for the Archaeological Institute of America
Sometime last year, I received an unexpected email appeared in my inbox from the Archaeological Institute of America. To my surprise, I had been nominated for the Joukowsky Lectureship. Named after Martha Sharp Joukowsky, one of the past presidents of the institute, this lectureship is bestowed upon distinguished archaeologists from any nationality and discipline, recognized by the Lecture Program Committee for their contributions to archaeology.
Counting myself among the 'distinguished’ is questionable, but I was grateful for the nomination and accepted the opportunity to introduce the Rock Art of Southeast Asia to a larger audience. As many of you may know, this is a subject I have spoken about a number of times. This iteration of the lecture started with a brief introduction to Southeast Asia as a region, and through four main theses: that Southeast Asian rock art is really old (I even managed to sneak in that video of Leang Bulu Sipong 4); but also found throughout all time periods; the idea of rock art as landscape markers rather than just images; and also that new discoveries were still being made frequently. I proposed a title intended to evoke playfulness and the zoomorphic rock art of the region: "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Elephants: The Rock Art of Southeast Asia".
The Archaeological Institute of America is a large organization with local chapters predominantly in North America, and it planned for me to be hosted by five different societies in April 2024. With everything set, I embarked on an epic journey which eventually saw me circumnavigate the world.
My journey commenced in San Francisco, where I was greeted by unseasonably cold weather but also a warm and vibrant academic community. My first lecture was held just an hour north in Petaluma, hosted by the North Coast society on the picturesque campus of a local university. Soon after, I returned to the heart of the Bay Area for a second talk at UC Berkeley. Both venues provided an intimate setting for engaging with diverse audiences.
Next, my travels took me to Cleveland, where I had the privilege of speaking at the Cleveland Art Museum. Of course, I also couldn’t miss seeing the museum's South and Southeast Asian galleries. Following Cleveland, Chicago awaited. There, I delivered my talk at DePaul University. This leg of the journey also allowed me to explore the Art Institute of Chicago and the Field Museum, where I encountered more Southeast Asian material. And also dinosaurs, because dinosaurs are cool.
The final leg of my tour was Denver, where my talk was hosted in a public library—an inviting space that contrasted with the academic venues of my earlier talks. Denver also offered a visit to the Denver Art Museum and the former Emma Bunker gallery, where I once again immersed myself in the art of Southeast Asia. I’ll share more about the museum visits and the Southeast Asian collections I explored in a future post, which were highlights in their own right.
To my surprise, most of the attendees were largely unfamiliar with Southeast Asia. This resulted in lively Q&A sessions, and I found these interactions to be particularly enjoyable. With audiences mostly new to Southeast Asian cultures and landscapes, their questions ranged from the technical aspects, like the nature of rock art pigments, to broader inquiries about the varied landscapes and the complexities of working in intercultural contexts.
While not my first time in the US, it was my first time visiting all these places along the lecture tour. My deepest thanks to the Archaeological Institute of America societies in the North Coast, San Francisco, Cleveland, Chicago, and Denver for their hospitality. Each group welcomed me not just as a lecturer, but as a guest, eager to share insights about their work and the unique makeup of their communities. The conversations and exchanges I had with these passionate individuals were as enriching as the lectures themselves.
I am also grateful to the Archaeological Institute of America for granting me the opportunity to embark on this lecture series. A special note of thanks goes to my esteemed colleague, whose belief in my work led to my nomination for this honour.
Lastly, I must thank Dr. Saw Chaw Yeh for her unique contribution to my lectures. In my rush to devise a catchy title for my talk, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Elephants”, I painted myself into a corner by having many images of elephant rock art, but none of tigers! She allowed me the use of this rock drawing of a tiger from Perlis; it is from one of her forthcoming publications in a volume that I edited.