A new pre-Columbian ceramic exhibit, “Of Earth, Of Fire,” will be on display at the Linfield College Anthropology Museum Oct. 22 through Jan. 17.

The exhibit will kick off with an opening reception Tuesday, Oct. 22, at noon in the foyer of Walker Hall at Linfield. It is from the collection of Elvin A. Duerst, donated to Linfield College in 2007. The pieces of the exhibit are largely from Peruvian and Costa Rican cultures, as well as several of unknown provenances.

The Pre-Columbian era encompasses the visual arts of indigenous peoples of the Caribbean and North, Central and South America until roughly the early 16th century. Both before and after the arrival of Columbus and other Europeans, art thrived throughout the Americas, often focusing on cosmologies, world views, religions, aesthetics and philosophies of the native cultures. It also served as memory devices, memorials and works of art.

The mission of the Linfield Anthropology Museum is to collect, preserve and exhibit objects of ethnographic and cultural importance. These tenets are to provide Linfield students with opportunities for training and practice within the field of museum work; to educate and engage the Linfield community and the general public through student-prepared exhibits; and to facilitate an understanding of world cultures.

The exhibit is free and open to the public. Museum hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information, contact Keni Sturgeon, faculty curator, at 503-585-7012, ksturge@linfield.edu.