1) Which museum did you visit?

I visited the Utah Fine Arts Museum.

2) Describe at least one of the permanent collection exhibits on a theme, period,

geographic region, or topic) within the museum.

The “Ancient Mesoamerican Art” exhibit was one of the permanent exhibits that they had

at the museum. The collection was made up of historical art that made up the lives of Ancient

Mesoamericans. There were beaded costumes, hats, and other special ceremonial items of

clothing. They also had sculptures. Some were more realistic depictions of people, but most of

them had a predominantly wide face, and short limbs. If makes me wonder why they didn’t

make statues that looked exactly like themselves. The sculptures and they way they were

sculpted must have meant something to the artists that made them. There were many everyday

pieces of art there, too. Bags that were beaded on the outside, carved utensils, and other

everyday articles were put on display. Even though they lived in an ancient time, these people

ornamented their everyday utensils just like we do now. This is evidence to me that even though

time humans experience the same things.

3) Give a brief, one paragraph description of a special, temporary exhibit (for help, ask

museum staff what these are; they are usually in one of the first rooms

One of the temporary exhibits was “The Race to the Promontory” exhibit. They had lots

of old black-and-white pictures from places that are in the Midwest. The pictures were

Midwestern, when people were just settling in Utah, and when we were building the

transcontinental railroad. The art was mostly composed of black-and-white pictures, most of

them Stereographs. Stereographs are pictures that become three dimensional when you use

special glasses. It’s really cool that, even back then, they had three dimensional pictures. There

were also some cool maps that someone made, as well as some paintings of the landscape at

that
4) What do you think the museum administration and/or exhibit curators want you to

learn or gain from the exhibits you viewed?

I think they wanted me to see other cultures and experience the different perspectives of

those different cultures. Their exhibits had many different types and points of view, some in

different countries like China or the Pacific islands, some were from the same places but with

different timelines, like the Ancient Mesoamerican and Mediterranean exhibits. Some exhibits

showed how the art of Europe changed overtime. There were many different views that were

displayed. I think, also, that the museum administration wanted me to see that even though

there are many different perspectives, we have much in common with those people.

5) What kind of information is provided about the works? Where might you look for

further information if you were interested?

The approximate date of the pieces creation, the artist (if one was known), and where it

came from. Sometimes the plaques would mention the purpose of the piece or why the piece

was made if they had that information. If I wanted more information I could look at the website,

the museum the piece came from (if it came from another museum), or you could have a guide

show you around who might know more about the art pieces. There are also staff that walk

around the museum that could give you more information if they know it.

6) Choose several works that particularly appealed to you. Explain why you were drawn

to these works. Comment on the subject, style, medium, time period, etc. Who were the

artists? What message do you think the artists were trying to convey in the works you

chose to discuss?

I really enjoyed the pieces in the Ancient Mesoamerican art exhibit like the statuettes

that they had. One display that I liked especially was a statuette of two babies, and a lady in

between holding her arms out. I thought it was kind of a funny display because the mom looked

like she was freaking out because both of her babies were crying. It could also have looked like

she was holding her arms out, or it might be a coincidence that they had those statuettes like
that, but I’d like to think that the mom was feeling how all moms feel when both of their children

are crying.

I also like a beaded bag that they had on display for the same exhibit. It was an

everyday bag turned into a piece of art. It makes me think of how we, as Americans living in

2019 adorn our own everyday items just like they did back then. I also liked it because it makes

me think of my brother who’s serving a mission in Native American reservations. One of the

ladies in an area he was serving in taught my brother how to do beading just like that. He sent

us a pen that he beaded.

Another piece I liked was a cool statue display from the Chinese exhibit. There were two

statues next to each other that had really detailed depictions of Buddha. There’s just something

about old art and stories from old civilizations that amaze me. Every detail was there for a

reason, and it was beautifully done. Buddha is on the top, meditating - I’m assuming that it

would be Buddha - and there are people on the bottom, meditating. It seems to me that the

artist was showing how Buddha was at the highest point of being, and the rest of the people are

in the bottom trying to be like Buddha so they can reach the highest point of being like the

Buddha.

I really enjoyed the Arts of the Pacific exhibit, but something there that caught my eye

were the massive shields they exhibited on the walls. They are huge, with designs on them.

Mostly I liked them because, growing up with boys, I played lots of pretend adventure games, so

these shields remind me of my childhood.

Another piece I liked was the sarcophagus in the Egyptian exhibit. Every part of the

sarcophagus was embellished with a design. I liked this piece because of all the work that would

have been put into it. It would have taken hours and days to get all of those designs right, and

carving it would have taken a long time as well. I’m glad that, even though it was meant for

someone else, the artist - or artists - took lots of time to create something so beautiful. I also like
the lore behind it; They put the Goddess Isis on the sarcophagus to protect the king’s spirit, and

they put designs on it not only to make the coffin pretty, but to give their Pharaoh extra safety on

his way to the land of the dead.

7) How did the artworks you looked at relate to material we have discussed in class?

Looking at all of these perspectives makes me think of our Happiness and the Good Life

unit, when we were discussing how other cultures look for happiness. We discussed all of the

different views of different cultures and how they view happiness. Some artwork expressed that

we need to achieve enlightenment by meditation, which will lead to great happiness. Some

pieces expressed that gods protected us, and giving them gifts would ensure the giver’s safety

and happiness. Each exhibit showed a culture’s view on life and happiness. I think most

especially about the introduction to our unit and the focus of the unit because we discussed

what happiness is, and what it means for other people. Like in our happiness unit, every

culture’s artwork shows that everyone has a way of looking for happiness, whether or not they

believe in one God, many gods, or no god, everyone is striving for some kind of happiness.

8) What was your personal reaction to this experience? Would you enjoy attending this

type of event again? Why or why not?

I enjoyed walking around looking at the different pieces of art, and I enjoyed looking at

ancient and modern artwork. Mostly I liked the ancient artwork, because I like things that have

to do with ancient civilizations, but the modern artwork was nice, too. I think that I would want to

go to a museum that holds my standards, like the BYU museum, however. There were lots of

really interesting pieces, but there were a lot of naked pictures and sculptures, which made me

feel uncomfortable. I don’t think I will ever go to the U of U museum again, but I would like to go

see another one when I have the chance.