February 11, 2010 — Clarke Hudson, assistant professor of religious studies at the University of Virginia, will lead a tour of "Treasures Rediscovered: Chinese Stone Sculpture from the Sackler Collections at Columbia University" on Feb. 20 from 2 to 3 p.m.

The exhibition includes 21 monumental sculptures – steles, full figures and heads of divinities, and funerary objects – that provide a comprehensive view of how art manifests ritual practice. Through iconography, it also reveals the transmission and transformation of culture from the Han (206 B.C.–A.D. 220) through the Tang dynasties (A.D. 617–907), and the dissemination of Chinese Buddhist culture along the famed Silk Road.

A specialist in both Buddhism and Daoism, Hudson will give an overview of the religious significance of the works in this exhibition, as well as those in the associated exhibition: "Expressions of the Buddhist Faith."

Both exhibitions will remain on view through March 14.

The U.Va. Art Museum offers its Saturday Special Tours on the third Saturday of every month from 2 to 3 p.m. These tours offer the opportunity to join curators, scholars and docents as they explore a variety of focused topics related to museum collections and exhibitions.

Saturday Special Tours are free, and space is limited. For information, or to register for a tour, call 434-243-2050 or e-mail museumoutreach@virginia.edu. The museum is located at 155 Rugby Road, one block from the Rotunda.