Since 2021, IPAMAA PhD candidate Laurel Fricker has worked with Kelsey Museum conservators on Investigating Color in Roman Egypt, a project funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. During this time, she has studied pigments and dyes on artifacts from Karanis—mainly terracotta figurines and textiles—using various analytical techniques, allowing her to reconstruct the colorful world that ancient people created and inhabited.

This research forms the basis of the Kelsey Museum’s newest Kelsey in Focus case, which opened in mid-October. Curated by Laurel, “Through the Lens: Examining Colorful Objects from Karanis” takes a close look at three figurines uncovered from domestic contexts at Karanis, exploring how pigments—often invisible to the naked eye—can be investigated using digital microscopy and multispectral imaging.

Join us at this Flash Talk to learn more about Laurel’s research and exhibition. To register for this lecture, fill out the form at https://forms.gle/jGTJinBfv3fsnTH37. Zoom log-in information will be provided upon registration. Please sign up by 9:30 AM the day of the event to ensure you receive a confirmation email containing the access code.