Ahab: When Art Speaks
It’s still not fully clear to me why I smile when I walk down the empty halls of my museum. When I’m alone with Reina the Rhino and the Zhao-dynasty Buddha sculpture folded into the lotus pose, I always have the desire to spin around the intricately-wrought iron and bronze sculptures. Working as a high school intern at the Asian Art Museum for the past two years has been just that, a whirl in the intersection of art and people.
It is strange to think of the museum as a comfortable place. Strange to imagine that such a well-manicured setting can have such character. But the smell of flowers and rice in the Japan gallery always reminds me of my grandparents’ house in India, and the pose of Vishnu in the India gallery makes me grin as I remember the form my aunt takes during yoga. With a quick pass by one of the security guards, Lisette, I chuckle as we discuss a recent visitor’s attempt to open the drawers of a 6th century cabinet.
Most only view the museum as a place for beautiful objects to be stored and viewed. I am
quite lucky that one of my roles in the museum is to make it more accessible. We spend time designing and prototyping different activities for families. We have created crafts from monkey puppets to rubber stamps to engage people with the art around them. Suffice to say it’s heartwarming to watch three generations of a family each try to make the best clay replica of the Meat-Shaped Stone, a famous piece from Taipei’s National Palace Museum. While sitting down next to visitors, I try to refine my Chinese tones, memorize new phrases, and laugh at my mistakes.
In an attempt to connect people of all cultures together in a simple way, the museum hosts cultural celebrations, which I always recommend if you want a reason to come visit the museum. Performances and demonstrations are just the beginning of a whole day of fun and energy. Just recently, we had a celebration of Diwali to commemorate both the opening of The Rama Epic as well as the South Asian holiday. Activities such as Rangoli and Diya Lamps went hand-in-hand with beautiful dances portraying the Ramayana. The buzz that filled the museum was beautiful as both kids and adults uttered awed breaths at the old art on the walls and the new art they created.
The museum, in my opinion, is amazing. Yet, I can imagine one feeling lost or burdened but the immensity of the art. So, now that you have heard some of the things I have learned and loved about the museum, here’s a mini guide to seeing the museum yourself. First, I’d recommend picking up a visitors guide and the audio guide. The visitor guide has a nice map on the back, and although you don’t necessarily need to know the gallery number you are in, it is useful to identify where some of the masterpieces are as well as what era/country the art you are looking at is from. The audio is extremely helpful if you don’t have much knowledge of Asian art. Also, as you look through the exhibit, I encourage looking for the smaller pieces - they are usually extremely intricate and impossibly beautiful. My last tip for a trip to the Asian Art Museum is to get a pot of tea from the cafe. It’s the best deal!
