Within our lives, there is often a place where curiosity runs rampant and faded memories of the past once again regain their lively color. A place where descendants of many different ancestral and social groups wander, captivated by what they see.
This dwelling, a museum, provides artifacts that have lasted through the ages and continue to inspire the masses. The archaeological materials displayed here only go further to provide a sense a character for the museum, to encourage visitors and artifacts from around the world to observe, and to mystify individuals like me.
Just like humanity, museums have a distinct way of expressing themselves. From the way the architecture is planned to the incorporation of the exhibits, each factor combines to create a specific identity for such an institution.
Each exhibit is placed within its own area and is displayed in a way that best underlines its features, even if this means being occasionally hidden away in glass cases to ensure its protection. For example, paintings are hung flush against sunlit walls of velveteen crimson and azure, enrapturing the eye and ensnaring the imagination. Sculptures are strategically placed within the line of grand windows that hold stunning views of the city and in the colorful garden that awaits visitors outside. For each remnant of the past is incorporated within the museum only in a way to heighten the attention towards it, and as such, the museum as a whole. In doing so, the artifacts wield an overarching image of class and structure that culminates all around the world.
The many cultures of the world are explicitly what these artifacts demonstrate. These archaeological materials originate in locations and times that many only dream of seeing. From the silk beds of the sun kings of France to the reliefs of high class women with Grecian heritage, many places from around the globe are present.
However, this factor does not only extend to the cultural features of humanity, but humanity itself. Individuals with widespread roots travel to this museum, taking in the snapshots of cultures long past. These visitors are much like the artifacts in which they are observing – crafted and shaped, although only by their life experiences. Mothers, couples, students, and businessmen alike all flock to the museums to observe in wonder the artifacts that await them.
The types of visitors that were present during the time of my own visitation were the same. Groups of art students sat in the gardens and drew the many floras that are to be found there. Children ran around the fountains, daring one another to get closer, only to be splashed. Tired but happy middle aged men waited in line for a warm cup of coffee on such a cold afternoon. Young adults played on their phones in disinterest and my friend and I snacked on pretzels, observing and watching the various people pass.
Some may have different reasons, I am sure, but I believe that people, me included, visit these museums to recapture the aspect of ourselves that we often forget in the rushing of the day to day. The archaeological finds within the museum, including the art to be found here, enraptures the mind, compelling it to stop, wonder, and appreciate the moment that never seems to cease. The museum's multi-cultured artifacts bring back the curiosity of childhood and the life of small aspects of history people let slip from their minds. It is this very ideal that I believe speaks to each visitor, no matter their associations, and always calls them back.
So here's to the places of wonder. A site in which one can reminisce over small snapshots of history that comes to life within one’s mind. The artifacts that reside within them only flesh out the overall image of the museum as a whole, enrapture multiplicity of visitors, and to stun the aspiring youth such as myself. Museums hold a wealth of archaeological materials, and without such a breadth of knowledge available, the world would only seem lackluster.
Museums are the places to fall in and out of love with the world every time you step in the door.
