Sacred Beauty

Sacred Beauty: A Millennium of Religious Art
Location: McClung Museum


I really liked this exhibit at McClung Museum. I definitely have to say that I was surprised by how impressive of an exhibit this one was. I never expected such a nice exhibition and such a cool variety of artifacts to appear in our humble little McClung. I personally have a love for archaeological artifacts...or anything that seems like something that Indiana Jones would go searching for. Thus, this exhibit tickled my fancy to the utmost extent. The exhibit dealt with artifacts of the five major religions: Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, and Judaism.

The exhibit as a whole was set up very nicely. The first thing I noticed upon entering the exhibit was the dramatic lighting used to accent each individual piece. I thought it was well done, with no main overhead lighting and the only light sources being the lights spotlighting each artifact. This created an environment where the lighting was subdued, yet without causing the artifacts to be poorly lit. I think this "mood" lighting also added a reverent atmosphere to the exhibit, which was quite appropriate since the exhibit dealt with religious art.

Also, in relation to the set up of the exhibit, I thought it had a nice overall flow. One thing that was a slight problem for me was initially differentiating between the sections. This was probably due more to me not paying attention than to the exhibit being laid out in a confusing manner. I did really like how the exhibit offered two places to enter or exit. This would definitely alleviate traffic jams that could be caused by school groups. It also gave the entire exhibit a more definite route, so that I as the observer was not worrying about where to begin or go next. Instead I could wander through the exhibit without a care. I also found the dispersement of the display cases to be quite well done. There were enough to keep the exhibit from seeming depressingly empty, but not so many that it looked cluttered or overwhelming. The display cases suspended on the walls were also great because they served their purpose without taking up any useless space.

The exhibit did a great job of giving a general synopsis of each religion and also of describing all of the artifacts. At the start of each section, a lengthy synopsis was given about the religion that section pertained to. I found these descriptions both interesting and really helpful because they greatly helped to clarify the artifacts I later viewed. I like how the synopses gave not only the historical origins of the religions, but also a general description of that religion's basic beliefs. Continuing on, the descriptions provided with each artifact were also extremely helpful and enlightening. They went above and beyond a normal museum description because they told not only what the object was, but also talked about its religious significance and how it was used in its original context. This made each object so much more interesting.

Out of all the sections, the Buddhist and Hindu art were my two favorites. I think this is mainly because those two religions seem to exotic to me. Buddhism and Hinduism are two religions that I know the basics about but don't come in contact with on a regular basis, thus their artifacts are much more intriguing. Plus, I think in a way those artifacts made me want to go watch an Indiana Jones movie.

I also thought that the Christian artifacts were really interesting because they weren't things that one would find in today's American Christian culture. It was like stepping into a different world of Christianity, based around religious dogma and seemingly archaic (and I believe some to be incorrect) beliefs. As a Christian in today's culture, I especially enjoyed viewing relics from the history of my religion.

The Islamic art section was disappointingly scarce. It consisted of a photo of a mosque, a rug, a few manuscripts, and a tile. I was really disappointed with this section because I think Islamic art is really beautiful and interesting. I really wish there had been more to this section of the exhibit, which seemed scantily supplied when compared with the other four sections. But I can see how it would be hard to collect a lot of Islamic art to display in the museum since it seems that a large portion of Islamic art is found in the actual architecture of their religious buildings.

The Judaism section was a good combination of religious artifacts and texts. Seeing as how great a role the law plays in Jewish culture, it was wonderful that there were actual examples of the Torah on display. I especially liked the Torah crown and finials because they expressed how great is the reverence for the word of God in Judaism.

Overall I give this exhibit two thumbs up. I could even see myself going back for a second visit just to enjoy the experience all over again.