MAKE-UP ASSIGNMENT #2: Reflection on Pacific Asia Museum
46 North Los Robles Avenue
Pasadena, CA 91101
Wednesday, June 18th, 2008
Last Wednesday, I spent some time at the Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena.
First, it was a great experience to actually see objects, ceramics, and artifacts that existed so long ago. Honestly, it had been a while since I had visited a museum. When I saw carvings and artifacts from the Qing and Tang dynasties, I was honestly in shock! I felt much like a young child excited to finally go to Toy’s R Us and look for the Nintendo game he wanted. It was because of our seminars that I was finally able to absorb and take in how old many of these artifacts really were.
When I first walked into the exhibit, the focus was on Ancient China. I didn’t realize how much of their art was related to Daoism, Confucianism and also, animals. Many of the artifacts had images of animals that symbolized different things (i.e. Ducks symbolized martial bliss).
Next, there were exhibits on art / objects from Pacific Islanders, and also Korea. An excellent part of the museum is towards the end: there is a room full of small burial ceramics from the Han and Tang dynasties. I learned that there were three different types of ceramics: earthenware, stoneware, and porcelain. It was great to see so many types of figures, from soldiers, to horses. The room reminded me of the Terra Cotta Warriors, only much smaller.
The section on Japanese art focused on the “Mengei Movement”, which I did not thoroughly understand. However, there were lots of things Netsuke, which are small decorative toggles that they used on their Kimonos. I was especially drawn to the small carvings of Tengu, masks, and monkeys.
Although a little on the small side, the museum is a good place to visit. It provides a good opportunity to bring what we are studying to life. I would recommend checking it out!
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