MEMPHIS, Tennessee --- In keeping with its outreach goals, the Belz Museum of Asian & Judaic Art and the Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority, have co-hosted an exhibition to be displayed at the airport. Installed just outside of the World Club, the exhibit features twenty objects from the Belz Collection. The pieces chosen provide a good representation of the types of objects on display in the permanent collection at the Belz Museum.
One of the main features of the museum is the quantity and quality of jade pieces in its collection. During China's Qing Dynasty, jade-work reached its zenith. Jade is an extremely difficult material to carve, and the pieces in the museum reflect the dedication of the artists to their craft. The pieces selected for the exhibit at the airport, including a pair of lavender jadeite vases, will serve to educate travelers on the symbolism, material, and technique, along with inspiring and delighting people of all ages.
Ivory carvings also play a prominent role in the collections, specifically pieces carved from the tusks of woolly mammoths. Ancestors of the modern elephant, woolly mammoths roamed the earth millions of years ago, eventually becoming extinct. Large deposits of mammoth bone can be found buried in the Siberian permafrost. Much of this ivory was imported into China and carved by world-class artisans. The exhibit features eight exquisite carvings done in mammoth ivory. Due to space limitations, the tusk carving chosen for the airport, which features a beautiful Chinese landscape, is significantly smaller in scale than those displayed permanently at the museum. One of the most intriguing pieces is an ivory mystery ball. Mystery balls, also called ball-in-balls, are sculptures of which concentric spheres were mysteriously carved. They were made throughout the Qing Dynasty for export to the West. The ball-in-ball on display has a total of forty-eight concentric layers.
"We wanted to ensure that our collections were well represented. It was only fitting to include some modern Judaica as it is such an integral part of our collections." said Knight.
A two-foot long Judaica train is made from silver and consists of four train cars, including the engine. Various ritualistic motifs are designed on the train. The artist has integrated the objects so well that, at first glance, it is difficult to tell there are other components. Upon closer inspection, the objects are revealed.
The exhibit items will be displayed in the airport for a six-month period, which began October 2007. "We believe this is an excellent way to showcase our collections and provide a cultural opportunity for travelers," says Nancy Knight, Director of Belz Museum of Asian & Judaic Art.
For more information contact the museum at 901-523-2787.