Artifacts in Action Virtual Lecture: Fish-skin Robe of the Amur River

The Penn Museum is hosting a virtual lecture on Wednesday, Dec. 2, from 7 PM to 8:30 PM, centered on a fish-skin robe from the Amur River region of Russia's Far East. It's part of Artifacts in Action, the museum's flagship virtual series, which lets you look at the collection from home rather than in person. The robe was made by the Nanai, Indigenous Peoples of the region, who crafted it from materials found along the Amur River—a garment that embodies their deep knowledge of the environment.

What makes this particular talk stand out is a digital reconstruction of the robe. Developed with Nanai artist Anatol Donkan and designer Ana Cordoba Crespo, the reconstruction brings the garment's original colors, patterns, and construction back into vivid detail. The lecture will use the VXP platform, developed by the Barnes Foundation, which lets you zoom in, rotate objects in 3D, and explore 360-degree views of archaeological sites. It's a way of seeing the collection 'in action' rather than just as a static image on a screen.

Leading the discussion is Dr. Elisa Palomino Perez, an associate researcher at the Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center. She's a multidisciplinary artist, educator, and researcher who has focused extensively on Indigenous fish-skin textiles from the Amur River region of Siberia, collaborating with artists and communities to share their cultural knowledge with contemporary audiences. Her work sits at the intersection of research and art, which fits the way this lecture blends a museum object with a digital reconstruction.

Tickets are $15 for the general public and free for Penn Museum members. The lecture runs from 7 PM to 8:30 PM on Wednesday, Dec. 2, and since it's a virtual event, you'll be watching it live online via the VXP platform.