The adjective "awesome" has been enfeebled by incessant application to the trivial: My maple creemee was awesome. That T-shirt is awesome. But awe itself remains a stirring emotional response to something truly grand or unfathomable; it may include a realization of insignificance in the face of a powerful force. Not coincidentally, the U.S. military refers to its strategy of rapid dominance as "shock and awe." Most of us might describe awe in more positive ways: a religious or spiritual experience; being moved by tremendous beauty, such as a majestic landscape or achingly eloquent music; wonderment at the unfolding cosmos. We are also awed by displays of human goodness or resilience in the face of misfortune. A uniquely provocative exhibition at the Middlebury College Museum of Art explores this entire spectrum. Aptly titled "An Invitation to Awe," it partitions the subject into "studios," or categories, such as "The Natural World" and "Scientific Discovery." As an introduction observes, "the challenges of our current moment suggest the adoption of a broader and more nuanced understanding of awe." Guest curator Katy Smith Abbott, an associate professor in the history of art and architecture, engaged colleagues as well as nearly 70 students to develop concepts and select objects for the exhibit. Some of the students created short podcasts that visitors can listen to on headphones. These include, in the "Sacred Awe" studio, Yardena Gerwin's 10-minute interview with Rabbi Sara Paasche-Orlow. Titled "Witnessing Awe," it centers on the rabbi's work with individuals nearing the end of life. "At the moment of dying, it's evident to the dying person that there is something holding the universe together," Paasche-Orlow says. Indeed, what moment is more pivotal to the living than confronting the afterlife? A similar theme from a different culture is presented in a bewitching image titled "Arrival." It's a still from New Zealander Lisa Reihana's video installation, "Tai Whetuki—House of Death Redux." A tattooed woman, arms outstretched, seems to float through a setting that is equal parts woodsy and ethereal. "In Māori mythology, Hine-nui-te-p is the goddess of dreams, as well as the spirit who welcomes the dead to the afterlife," wall text explains. Here, the goddess is guiding a dead warrior "through an underworld where land and human are inextricably linked." An introduction to the studio "Vastness and Accommodation" notes that in the Middle Ages, awe manifested as darkness and fear of the…