Pacific Asia Museum

[Rob_Hugo@PortNW]

Please reply here about the Pacific Asia Museum trip on 7-31-08.

[Anonymous]

The Pacific Asia Museum had an excellent representation of the different countries’ cultures though their art and pottery. I was surprised at the fact that I could see the influences from neighboring countries and cultures in each piece, so that there was a somewhat natural progression from the first piece to the last. I suppose this goes along with what I wrote yesterday about everyone contributing to and having a lasting effect on the lives of people around them.

I spent a fair amount of time comparing designs on Chinese objects and paintings to those on their Japanese equivalents. I noticed that the Chinese designs were much more ornate, much more busy – often with dark, heavy strokes of paint – while the Japanese pieces had more simple designs of a solitary flower or the outlines of a mountain landscape, and the stokes were thin, and often almost transparent. Perhaps this idea of simple beauty lives in more than just the art. Perhaps it is a philosophy or way of life: The answers are simple, logical. There is no need to fill the space with more design, for the object itself is extraordinary. The same thought occurred to e regarding the Chinese culture: the designs are intricate and seem complex, but when one looks closely, they can see the patterns and the poetry and the life in the art, as it exists in the people.

[Anonymous]

I was mesmerized by the quiet beauty inside the courtyard of the Pacific Asia Museum. A person could sit on one of the stone benches and enjoy the sound of the silence – until the fans of a koi disturbed the surface of the pond. Contemplating the simplicity of that setting, I also noticed that the Japanese art seemed to follow the same ideal of simplicity. A single iris blossom embellished one porcelain bowl. The serving pieces displayed in a glass pedestal were all monochromatic and geometric, but again beautiful because of their clean lines.

These museum pieces closely resembled the pieces I’ve used in Japanese restaurants, so I felt as if this was the ultimate example of how a civilization can share the luxury of artistry throughout the hierarchy of society.

[Anonymous]

I went outside to sit in tranquility and reflect and recall on what I had viewed in the museum. The vast wealth of knowledge and products from it were totally illuminating. The Ming and Shoung ? dynasties were more appealing to the eye for me. The beauty was more prevalant. The stoneware that was created without machines like today were marvelous pieces of art work. There was one koi fish that called my attention, it had a personality of its own; it would swim on its side which I've never seen a fish do before, it was the lighter one.
Even though we couldn't go into the jade exhibit, I stood there watching the men for a long time, who were setting it up. I though to myself as I strolled the museum- to be so close to history, to be able to see what is left to us as an inheritance, we are truley blessed.

[Anonymous]

Oh, a silk road exhibit! Hands on! Can't wait! Oh, it's not open yet?

Okay...wait, dishes and cups? More dishes and cups? Vases? (Sorry 🙁 I know I'm a brat when it comes to museum exhibits.)

Hold on, a gift shop that is closed! No!

Oh, a friendly lady at the front desk. Wait...you walk through construction? No...yes? Yes! There's everyone else! And there's my artifacts!

Then: there they are-- more buddhas, boddhisatvas, Ganesh, Vishnu, Shiva, the gang's all here. A breathtaking carving of a monk (?) and his consort in the mother/father embrace, where the man represents compassion, and the woman represents wisdom. A necklace carved of human bones, drums carved by making a slit in a tree...

What a great place! This is another place where I hope to come back once they get their new installations set up. I think it's beyond wonderful that they have free admissions for field trips. In this day and age, it's impossible enough to just get a bus, let alone to cover entrance fees, so good for them. I will definitely be coming back to travel the silk road in a few weeks!

[Anonymous]

What stuck with me the most after visiting the museum was the statue of the Hindu deity Ganesha. What I liked most was the story of how he came into existence. While guarding as a lookout for his mother, Parvati, his father, Shiva, unknowingly cut his head off. In recognizing that it was his child he quickly found the nearest head possible, which was that of an elephant. Being that he is also worshiped as a God of education, among other things, makes me want to obtain a statue for myself.

The free books were a bonus too! [Edit by="mburditt on Aug 1, 6:48:27 AM"][/Edit]

[Anonymous]

This is a real reply. I could not of said it better, good for you. I totally agree with both the positive and the negative.

Now the human bone necklace and the hair necklace with the bone (I am a sick lady), I actually took pictures of and have a desire to own my own. How this relates to L/A I have no idea. However, I will probably share the photos with my students. It will be great for effect if nothing else. The terra cotta horse was great also. Its hollow neck and body make it a very fragile relic. The grounds were okay. The library up stairs was quite tiny. Lots of empty areas on the upper level that need an insightful curator. The place needs... - I just wanted more, more, more.

I had never been so thanks do go out to Miranda and Clay!

[Anonymous]

Now, the free books will be used in the classrom via the beloved document camera. A nice bonus.

[Anonymous]

Today, when I visited A.P.Museum I was very intrigued with the building itself as a piece of local history. The building has always had a kind of California kitch appearance, for me, juxtaposed against the Pasadena landscape. It was a real pleasure to be a student today, to take the time to actually stop and look inside with new appreciation. It's now, for me, a historic building representing ancient buildings nestled in amoung a changing world of archetecture. I was taken with its ambiance of ancient peace. I found myself thinking what great house this would be. How nice to have the option to shut the gates to the modern world and have a peaceful refuge and yet be able to return again just by leaving the courtyard.

[Anonymous]

JOURNEY TO THE NORTH

Shipwreck

Exfoliated.
Ancient vessels stripped to bone
By a salty sea.

In Limbo

Temple dog stands guard
Treasured objects left unloved
Brush stands dry alone
Snow on mountainous holder
Frozen in time behind glass

Thank you Priya for the help

[Anonymous]

I never knew there was a museum in downtown Pasadena. I love museums and this one was no exception. I enjoyed all of the displays and it was a shame that we didn't have an opportunity to view the jade display that was being prepared. The celadon artifacts were beautiful and how I wish I could have even a small collection of what I saw. I couldn't ignore visiting the gift shop and I'm glad I did because they too had a nice selection of cool stuff to buy. I held off buying the chopsticks and a fan, but I found the perfect origami book for my two younger sons. I just finished making an elephant I will be returning to PAM soon to make sure I tour the whole facility and bring along enough money to buy me a Cambodian straw purse.

[Anonymous]

Gosh, I wish I lived in LA County so I could take advantage of the awesome free field trips that are offered through the museum. I also had never heard of this museum (but I live in SD, so I only know of this big ones) and found it quite charming. I loved the design and feel of the entire space. It was calming and inviting. I think students would take notice of how this does not look like a "regular" museum. I also wish we could have examined the jade display a little closer and wish we had gotten the chance to see the graffiti and silk road exhibits. I'm sure they're wonderful!

[Anonymous]

Thur. 4A
Pacific Asia Museum reminds me of the Santa Barbra Museum on State St. when I first found this museum about 15 years ago it to was small and had no help from the Government just as the Pacific Asia Museum, today it is a wonderful museum with a large permanent collection. I have taken my students on a field trip there twice.
I would love to return to the Pacific Asia Museum during the “Silk Road”, show. I did sneak into the room where they had some of the ceramic horses and yes I did get two or three pictures, I do not know if they turned out yet.
Every year I take 18-27 students on three field trips one has something to do with Science, the second is to Lake Huge, to Paul Newman’s Painted Turtle; this one my knitters/crocheters go to donate blankets for terminally ill children, and the third is to an art museum. Pacific Asia is on my list for next year.

[Anonymous]

I wanted to let everyone know that I uploaded my pictures from the field trip. The url is now part of my profile (to the left).

If anyone else uploaded their pictures, please share a link if you don't mind 😀

[Anonymous]

This was my second visit to the museum. I had vivid memories of the Samurai exhibit which I had enjoyed in the 80's. Besides the ambiance of the garden I was intrigued by the glazed stoneware of the 16th century Thailand to huge vases with floral patterns of Qin and Ming dynasties. I admired the wall hangings in the Japanese section of ink rendering on paper. My favorite was the huge slit drum hollowed out of a tree trunk from Papua New Guinea!

[Author]

Posts