Less Than Perfect

August 26, 2016–January 8, 2017 - This exhibition shows in our society, we are taught to strive for and expect perfection. Yet throughout our lives, we learn as much or more from our flaws and failures as we do from our successes. Less than Perfect celebrates failure and the lessons it teaches. Featuring objects that span more than 2000 years and four continents, this exhibition explores the stories they tell about their makers, their making, and their use. 

The exhibition is organized around three themes. Failed Perfection presents archaeological objects that failed in production to explore how researchers use them to study about ancient technologies. Deliberate Imperfection features beautiful and finely crafted objects whose makers deliberately introduced asymmetries or other imperfections into their products—and considers why artists choose to make imperfect things. Restoring Perfection highlights artifacts that were repaired in antiquity by people who strove to restore usefulness and beauty to broken or damaged objects.