Press Room:
Ancient Roman Artifacts Travel to Arkansas Arts Center on February 11, 2005

For more information contact:
Emily Fraize, 501-396-0308
efraize@arkarts.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Ancient Roman Artifacts Travel to Arkansas Arts Center on February 11, 2005

Luxury villas built by the Roman elite for summer residency were located on a bluff overlooking the Bay of Naples and the modern city of Castelammare di Stabiae, approximately 2.5 miles southeast of Pompeii. The site was originally discovered in the 1740s and a few villas were looted for invaluable fresco fragments and precious artifacts. Eventually reburied, the site lay dormant for over two centuries until the principal of the local high school rediscovered a villa and with the help of his students, began reexcavation in the 1950s.

This captivating installation features 71 artworks and artifacts recovered from four ancient Roman villas. Among the artifacts are 26 remarkably well-preserved frescoes and 11 stucco fragments. The exhibition provides a stunning example of the environments that Roman builders created for their comfort. This is the first time these ornamental Classical frescoes created to adorn the halls of lavish resort residences tour the US.

Four principle villas are represented in the exhibition: the Villa San Marco, Villa Arianna ("of Ariadne," named after a major fresco), Villa del Pastore ("Villa of the Shepherd," named after a statue found on the site) and villa near Carmiano. (Explanatory panels provide information particular to each of the four villas and on the political significance of the villas. The panels also chart the intriguing history of discovery, the projection of power with which the owners imbued their homes, and the lifestyle and economics of the villas.)

The objective of the exhibition is to present these largely unknown villas, considered among the best preserved first century B.C. and A.D. seaside villas in the entire Mediterranean world, to the US public. "In Stabiano: Exploring the Ancient Seaside Villas of the Roman Elite" opened at the National Museum of Natural History - Smithsonian Institution, DC. The Arkansas Arts Center is the first stop on its nationwide tour. For more information call 501-372-4000 or visit www.arkarts.com. Admission is free.

Credit Line: The exhibition is organized by the Superintendence of Archeology of Pompeii with the collaboration of the Restoring ancient Stabiae Foundation and partially sponsored by the National Italian American Foundation, tour organized by International Arts & Artists.

GENERAL INFORMATION
Contact: 501-372-4000
Location: Arkansas Arts Center - 9th and Commerce, Little Rock, AR 72202
Gallery Hours: Tuesday through Saturday, 10 am to 5 pm
Sunday, 11 am to 5 pm
Closed Monday and Major Holidays

Sponsors: Bank of the Ozarks; Terri and Chuck Erwin; Pat and Dr. J. Floyd Kyser; Williams & Anderson PLC