Local artist and poet, Carol "Cara" Wubbena, has experienced the ancient history and archaeology of the Near East first hand.  Carol met and worked with many well known archaeologists as a coordinator for Biblical Archaeology Society Seminars in the United States. She hoped her initial experience in excavation would be a “diving dig” on a shipwreck. Instead she became a part of an archaeological excavation in the desert in Israel .....quite a long way from the sea.   Initially she was a volunteer and then became a staff member at Tell Halif, a dig south of Jerusalem. Her dig director was Joe Seger of the Cobb Institute of Archaeology at Mississippi State. 

The dig had forty to seventy staff, camp crew and volunteers.  Each season was nine weeks. The artist refers to their living and working areas as “a hippie camp look.” It was made up of tents and old school buses placed in a field in what seemed like the middle of nowhere.  Carol was the Pottery Registrar on the excavation. This meant she registered each piece of pottery taken from the ground. Lucky for her, a part of her job was to sit with the archaeologists when they “read” each bucket of shards and debated the date and authenticity.  “The whole experience on the excavation was very tiring, very dirty, very primitive but very exhilarating.” says Carol.  “I have a lot of interesting stories.”

Carol also took a six week study course of Israel, dug at Tell Dor, one of Israel’s largest sites on the Mediterranean coast and excavated on Native American sites near Atlanta.  The artist studied on-site in South America, Greece, and Jordan as well.  She received a grant from the American Schools of Oriental Research to excavate and study in the Near East and has traveled with her studies to England and France as well.  She is a member of Emory Museum of Archaeology and attends the American Schools of Oriental Research Annual Meetings.

Inspiration for Carol’s paintings, prints and poetry comes from her deep interest in archaeology, history and the study of ancient cultures.  This has also led to studies in mythology, world religions, and psychology. One well known 14 foot painting is part of a performance “Folded Wings, A Journey of the Spirit.” It has lights, poetry and music composed by her son James. Carol, whose painting and writing name is Cara, is currently researching  Celtic history and the archaeology of Ireland for another 12 foot painting.

Carol is a former public school art teacher and Community Education teacher.  Presently she paints and teaches art classes at her art studio in the 1910 Carnegie Library she restored in Barnesville.   Carol and her library were recently featured on HGTV and in Southern Living and Georgia Journal Magazines. 

Next archaeology slide lecture at Cara Studios, Library and Greenwood Sts in Barnesville will be posted under workshops. Please check back.